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The  Influence  of  the 
Oxford  Methodists  on 
Scottish  Religion 


-jCfixTrw 


FROM   THE  LIBRARY  OF 
REV.   LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON,  D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED   BY   HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


DMatan    < 

Section       /  ¥&5& 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://archive.org/details/wesleywhiteOObutl 


lV 


John  Wesley  and  George  Whitefield 
in  Scotland 


"the  best  of  all  is,  god  is  with  us." 
"i  look  upon  all  the  world  as  my  parish." 
"god  buries  his  workmen,  but  carries  on  his  work.1 

—  Wesley. 


ASTRA    PETAMUS. 


•Motto  on  IVhitefieUTs  seat, 
"with  device  of  wings  out- 
spread for  flight,  i 


/ 


V 


^ 
X 


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tffa  OF  PR/ty£> 


OCT   6    1931  "' 


John  Wesley  and 
George  Whitefkld 
in   Scotland 


^ogich  stw^ 


£ 


or,  The  Influence  of  the  Oxford 
Methodists  on  Scottish  Religion 


BY   THE 


REV.    D.    BUTLER,    MA. 


ABERNETHY 


NEW     YORK 

FUNK    AND     WAGNALLS     COMPANY 

30    LAFAYETTE    PLACE 

1899 


All  Rights  reserved 


\ 


PREFACE. 


In  the  following  pages  an  endeavour  has  been  made 
to  write  a  short  history  of  the  visits  made  to  Scotland 
last  century  by  two  of  the  most  outstanding  men  of 
the  period — the  Rev.  John  Wesley  and  the  Rev. 

ge  Whitefield  Although  the  visits  were  but 
a  very  small  fraction  of  their  vast  work,  they  are 
«»f  great  interest  to  the  historical  student,  and  to 
every  one  that  takes  an  interest  in  a  most  remark- 
able revival  of  religion,  the  results  of  which  are  still 
felt  in  the  life  and  work  of  the  modern  Church. 
Wesley  and  Whitefield  influenced  Scottish  Religion 
most  profoundly,  and  the  movement  of  which  they 

the  outstanding  leaders  became  to  a  consider- 
able extent  a  religious  movement  within  the  Scottish 
Church,  moulding  both  life  and  work  ever  since. 
The  outstanding  feature  of  the  great  Methodist 
d   is  that   its   indirect   influence   was   as   im- 


VI  PREFACE. 

portant  as  its  direct  influence.  The  literature  it 
created,  the  hymns  it  inspired,  the  work  it  called 
forth,  the  spiritual  atmosphere  it  created  by  the 
organisation  of  a  great  religious  communion,  acted 
upon  all  the  Churches,  and  left  no  Church  after- 
wards the  same.  Spiritual  force  cannot  be  limited 
in  its  area  of  direct  action,  and  the  great  Methodist 
Eevival  of  Religion,  while  it  is  visibly  embodied 
in  the  Scottish  Churches  that  still  bear  Wesley's 
honoured  name,  cannot  be  measured  in  extent  by 
them.  The  general  movement  has  assimilated  itself 
into  the  life  and  work  of  all  sections  of  the  Scottish 
Church,  and  has  acted  as  an  expansive  force  on  re- 
ligion and  on  religious  work.  Whitefield  brought 
it  by  his  preaching,  which  affected  the  Scottish 
towns  as  Savonarola's  did  Florence  of  old :  Hervey 
expressed  it  in  the  religious  literature  which  was 
widely  read  in  Scotland :  Charles  Wesley  has  sung 
it  into  the  Scottish  devotional  life  by  his  hymns : 
John  Wesley  brought  it  by  his  literature,  his  hymns, 
his  apostolic  labours ;  by  the  direct  and  indirect  in- 
fluence of  organised  Methodism,  and  the  religious 
life  it  has  inspired. 

The  literature  connected  with  the  general  move- 
ment is  vast,  but  the  interest  connected  with  the 
Scottish  work  is  distinctive,  and  an  endeavour  has 


l'KEFACE.  Vll 

been  made  to  give  it  a  treatment  which,  while 
narrating  the  particular  facts,  yet  connects  it  with 
the  general  movement.  The  letters  and  journals 
of  Wesley  and  Whitefield  are  the  original  sources 
from  which  the  information  has  been  acquired,  but 
other  literature  relating  to  the  period  has  also 
been  helpful.  The  letters  and  journals  (especially 
Wesley's)  are  not  only  valuable  as  a  record  of  the 
movement,  but  are  also  of  historical  value  in  cast- 
ing light  upon  Scottish  Church  life  in  last  century 
— an  interest,  too,  which  will  increase  with  the 
years.  It  is  to  be  observed  that  the  movement 
was  also  indebted  to  Scotland,  for  a  Scottish  book 
— Scougal's  'Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man' — 
had  an  epoch-making  influence  over  Whitefield's 
religious  development  (pp.  5  to  11),  and  was  well 
known  to  both  Charles  and  John  Wesley  (p.  7 
and  pp.   G7,   G8). 

D.  BUTLER. 


Th 
Abernethy.  Pekthmuhk. 
November  18,  1898. 


CONTENTS. 


OBJECT    AND    INFLUENCE    OF    METHODISM    .  1 
WHITEFIELD;S  LIFE,  WORK.  INFLUENCE,  AND  SCOT- 
TISH   VISITS        .....  4 

wiley's  life,  work,  influence,  and  scottish 

visit-  .  .  .  .  .  .67 

NARRATIVE    OF    His    BOOTTI8B    VISITS  220 

INDEX  313 


WESLEY   AND  AVIIITEFIELD 
IN  SCOTLAND. 


Wesley  [says  Mr  Leslie  Stephen]  founded  a  body 
which  eighty  years  after  his  death  could  boast  of  twelve 
million  adherents  :  and  its  reaction  upon  other  bodies 
was  perhaps  as  important  as  its  direct  influence.1 

The  Methodists  themselves  [says  the  late  Mr  Green] 
were  the  least  result  of  the  Methodist  revival.  .  .  . 
A  yet  nobler  result  was  the  steady  attempt,  which  has 
never  ceased  from  that  day  to  this,  to  remedy  the  guilt, 
the  ignorance,  the  physical  suffering,  the  social  degra- 
dation of  the  profligate  and  the  poor.  It  was  not  till 
the  Wesleyan  impulse  had  done  its  work  that  this  phil- 
anthropic impulse  began.2 

Although  the  career  of  the  elder  Pitt  [says  Mr  Lecky] 
and  the  splendid  victories  by  land  and  sea  that  were 
won  during  his  Ministry  form  unquestionably  the  most 
dazzlim:  epi.-odes  in  the  reign  of  George  II.,  they  must 
yield,   I   think,  in  real  importance   to   that   religious 


1  History  of  English  Thought  in  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
vol.  ii.  p.  409. 

-   Short  History  of  the  English  People,  vol.  iv.   pp.  1618, 
1619. 


2       WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

revolution  which  shortly  before  had  been  begun  in 
England  by  the  preaching  of  the  Wesleys  and  of 
Whitefield.  The  creation  of  a  large,  powerful,  and 
active  sect,  extending  over  both  hemispheres,  and 
numbering  many  millions  of  souls,  was  but  one  of  its 
consequences.  It  also  exercised  a  profound  and  lasting 
influence  upon  the  spirit  of  the  Established  Church, 
upon  the  amount  and  distribution  of  the  moral  forces 
of  the  nation,  and  even  upon  the  course  of  its  political 
history.1 

Such  are  the  opinions  of  three  modern  historians 
regarding  this  remarkable  and  unique  religious 
revival,  and  Mr  Tyerman  holds  the  bold  statement 
to  be  strictly  true — that  "  Methodism  is  the  greatest 
fact  in  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Christ."  2  The 
present  study  deals  with  the  historical  facts  regard- 
ing the  introduction  of  Methodism  into  Scotland ; 
with  the  influence  it  wielded,  the  opposition  it  had 
to  contend  with,  and  the  spiritual  force  it  brought 
within  the  Church  itself.  The  area  for  inquiry  is 
circumscribed,  yet  the  movement  within  Scotland 
was  real  and  pervasive,  and  what  it  lost  in  extent  it 
gained  in  intensive  power.  Methodism  was  in  Scot- 
land, as  in  England,  a  purely  religious  movement,  as 
spiritual  as  anything  on  this  side  of  time  can  be  •  it 
had  as  its  marching-order  and  inspiring  force  a  great 
object,  fraught  with  good  to  the  Churches  of  the 
country — viz.,  religion  "  not  as  the  bare  saying  over 

1  History  of  England  in  the   Eighteenth   Century,  vol.   ii. 
p.  521. 

2  The  Life  and  Times  of  John  Wesley,  vol.  i.  p.  12. 


OBJECT  OF  METHODISM.  3 

so  many  prayers,  morning  and  evening,  in  public  or 
in  private  :  not  anything  superadded  now  and  then 
to  a  careless  or  worldly  life ;  but  a  constant  ruling 
habit  of  the  soul ;  a  renewal  of  our  minds  in  the 
image  of  God  ;  a  recovery  of  the  divine  likeness ; 
a  still  increasing  conformity  of  heart  and  life  to  the 
pattern  of  our  most  holy  Redeemer."1  These 
words  of  John  Wesley,  written  in  173-4,  embody 
and  express  the  aim  of  the  great  revival  of  last 
century,  and  it  cannot  but  be  of  interest  to  trace 
its  development  in  Scotland. 

The  Scottish  movement  chiefly  centres  around 
the  names  of  John  "Wesley  and  George  Whitefield, 
who  both  visited  the  country;  and  in  order  to 
understand  John  Wesley's  work,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  begin  with  George  Whitefield,  as  he  was 
the  pioneer  of  Methodism  in  Scotland,  and  influ- 
enced the  Church  of  Scotland  most  profoundly. 

1  Tyeriuan"*  Oxford  Methodists,  p.  19. 


THE  EEV.  GEORGE  WHITEFIELD. 


George  Whitefifld  was  born  in  the  Bell  Inn, 
Gloucester,  on  16th  December  1714.  When 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  as  servitor  Pem- 
broke College,  Oxford,  where  he  spent  four  years, 
from  1732  to  1736.  Twelve  years  before,  John 
Wesley  had  been  admitted  to  Christ  Church 
College,  and  during  the  interval  had  been  elected 
Fellow  of  Lincoln  College,  had  taken  his  degree, 
and  been  ordained  deacon  and  priest.  Charles 
Wesley  had  been  six  years  at  Christ  Church,  and 
had  taken  the  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree,  and  had 
become  a  college  tutor. 

William  Morgan,  one  of  the  first  of  the  Oxford 
Methodists,  died  a  few  weeks  before  Whitefield  entered 
Pembroke  College.  For  three  years  past  Clayton  had 
been  at  Brasenose.  Ingham  had  already  spent  two 
years  at  Queen's.  In  1726  Gambold  had  been  ad- 
mitted as  servitor  in  Christ  Church,  and  in  1733  was 
ordained  by  Bishop  Potter.  Hervey,  born  in  the  same 
year  as  Whitefield,  had  in  1731  become  undergraduate 
in  Lincoln  College,  where  Wesley  was  tutor.  Broughton 
was  in  Exeter  College.     Kinchin  was  a  Fellow  of  Corpus 


OXFORD    "  HOLY   CLUB.  5 

Christi.  For  twelve  years  Hutchins  had  been  Fellow 
of  Lincoln,  where  also  for  some  time  past  Whitelamb 
and  Westley  Hall  had  been  studying,  to  the  content 
of  Wesley.1 

At  Oxford  "Whitefielcl  was  brought  into  contact 
with  the  earnest  company  of  students  known  as 
the  Methodists,  and  was  profoundly  helped  and  in- 
fluenced by  them.  The  "  Holy  Club  "  before  long 
perceived  the  earnestness  of  the  Pembroke  servitor, 
and  admitted  him  into  their  fellowship.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  record  that  a  religious  book,  written  by 
a  Scottish  professor,  was  one  extensively  used  by 
all  of  them,  and  had  no  small  influence  in  shaping 
their  religious  development.  It  is  a  book  now 
much  forgotten,  but  one  that  ought  to  be  better 
known — 'The  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man.'  A 
subjoined  footnote  gives  a  narrative  of  the  life  of 
its  author,  Henry  Scougal  (1650-1678),  and  an  an- 
alysis of  his  religious  teaching.2     Those  acquainted 

1  Tyerman's  Life  of  George  Whitefield,  vol.  i.  p.  14. 

2  Henry  Scougal  was  the  son  of  Patrick  Scougal,  Bishop  of 
Aberdeen,  and  was  horn  in  1650.  He  was  educated  at  King's 
College,  Aberdeen,  and  entered  it  when  fifteen  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  regent  in  the  University  for  four  years,  and  when 
only  eighteen  years  of  age  wrote  the  '  Private  Reflexions  and 
Occasional  Maxims ' — a  valuable  book  that  will  repay  careful 
perusal.  He  settled  as  minister  of  Auchterless  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty,  and  afterwards  became  Professor  of  Divinity  in 
Aberdeen  when  twenty- five  years  of  age.  This  office  he  held 
until  his  premature  death  in  1678.  Although  his  life  did  not 
extend  beyond  twenty -eight  years,  he  accomplished  much 
within  it,  and  he  will  be  gratefully  remembered  as  the  author 

:al  valuable  sermons,  but  chiefly  as  giving  to  the  world 


6       WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

with  the  early  position  of  the  Oxford  Methodists 
will  recognise  how  deep  and  potent  was  the  in- 
fluence of  Scougal's  book  over  them.     John  Wesley 

'The  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man,'  which  influenced  the 
Wesleys  and  the  early  Oxford  Methodists,  and  was  to 
Whitefield  what  the  'Theologia  Germanica'  was  to  Luther. 

"Learning  and  piety,"  says  Dr  Grub,  "never  appeared  in  a 
more  attractive  form  than  in  his  life  and  in  his  writings.  In 
an  age  of  strife  and  controversy,  when  most  persons  in  main- 
taining what  they  believed  to  be  the  truth,  seem  to  have  lost 
sight  of  charity,  he  discharged  his  duties  faithfully  and  yet 
with  meekness  and  humility.  Beloved  by  all  while  he  lived, 
his  memory  continues  to  be  cherished  by  the  Church  which  he 
adorned.  His  writings  have  always  been  highly  esteemed. 
The  work  which  is  best  known — '  The  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul 
of  Man ' — in  its  purity  and  beauty  the  faithful  picture  of  his 
own  mind,  which  so  many  great  writers  have  delighted  to 
praise,  and  which  has  been  the  source  of  so  much  good  to 
devout  persons  of  very  different  opinions,  was  published  during 
the  author's  lifetime  by  Gilbert  Burnet." — Grub's  Ecclesiastical 
History  of  Scotland,  vol.  iii.  pp.  269,  270. 

'  The  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man '  begins  by  stating  what 
religion  is  not.  It  is  not  to  be  placed  (1)  in  the  understanding  nor 
to  consist  of  orthodoxy — this  leads  to  sectarianism  ;  nor  (2)  in 
the  outward  man,  external  duties  and  model  of  performances  ; 
nor  (3)  in  rapturous  hearts  and  ecstatic  devotion  ;  nor  (4)  in 
wickedness  and  vice  and  the  hallowing  of  corrupt  affections. 
True  religion  is  a  union  of  the  soul  with  God,  a  real  participa- 
tion of  the  divine  nature,  the  very  image  of  God  drawn  upon 
the  soul  or  Christ  formed  within  us.  It  is  called  a  life — (1) 
because  of  its  permanency  and  stability ;  (2)  because  of  its 
freedom  and  unconstrainedness.  It  is  called  a  divine  life 
because  God  is  its  author,  and  it  bears  a  resemblance  to  the 
divine  perfection.  The  root  of  the  natural  life  is  sense :  the 
root  of  the  religious  life  is  faith,  and  its  chief  branches  are  (1) 
love  to  God,  (2)  charity  to  men,  (3)  purity,  and  (4)  humility. 
As  religion  is  better  understood  by  actions  than  by  words,  there 
is  the  constant  necessity  of  turning  to  the  life  of  Christ  for 
inspiration,  and  His  life  exhibits — (1)  diligence  in  doing  God's 


SCOUGAL   OF  ABERDEEN.  7 

knew  it  :  Charles  Wesley  knew  it  well,  and  gave 
the  use  of  it  to  George  AVhitefiekl,  who  is  open 
in  giving  strong  testimony  to  the  influence  of  the 

will,  patience  and  submission  in  suffering  God's  will,  and  con- 
stant devotion  in  so  far  as  His  whole  life  was  a  prayer  and 
communion  with  God  ;  (2)  charity  to  all  men  ;  (3)  purity  ;  (4) 
humility  ;  for  He  was  so  absorbed  by  a  sense  of  the  infinite 
perfections  of  God  that  He  appeared  as  nothing  in  His  own 
eyes.  The  four  lessons  are  then  applied  to  the  soul  of  the 
believer.  (1)  Divine  love  is  excellent,  for  it  is  the  right  temper 
of  the  soul,  and  fixes  the  affections  on  the  divine  perfection. 
It  advances,  elevates,  and  makes  the  soul  supremely  happy. 
To  love  God  is  to  find  sweetness  in  every  dispensation,  and 
the  duties  of  religion  become  delightful.  The  next  branches 
of  religion  are  (2)  universal  charity  and  love  ;  (3)  purity,  or  a 
contempt  of  sensual  pleasures  ;  (4)  humility  arising  from  a 
calm  and  quiet  contemplation  of  the  divine  purity  and  good- 
ness. For  the  growth  of  the  divine  life  in  the  soul  Scougal 
States  the  following  directions  :  (1)  We  must  shun  all  manner  of 
sin  ;  (2)  know  what  things  are  sinful ;  (3)  resist  temptations  by 
considering  their  consequent  evils  ;  (4)  keep  a  constant  guard 
over  ourselves  ;  (5)  often  examine  our  actions  ;  (6)  restrain  our- 
selves in  many  lawful  things  ;  (7)  strive  against  the  love  of  the 
world  ;  (8)  do  those  outward  actions  commanded  ;  (9)  strive  to- 
wards internal  acts  of  devotion  and  charity.  As  helps  or  means 
Scougal  indicates  the  following:  (1)  Consideration  is  a  great 
instrument  of  religion,  and  "spiritless  and  paralytick  thoughts" 
are  to  be  avoided.  (2)  We  must  consider  the  excellency  of  the 
divine  nature  ;  (3)  meditate  on  God's  goodness  and  love  ;  (4) 
remember  that  all  men  are  nearly  related  to  God  ;  (5)  that  they 
carry  His  image  upon  them.  (6)  We  must  consider  the  dignity 
of  our  nature  :  (7)  meditate  often  on  the  joys  of  heaven  ;  (8) 
consider  our  failures;  (9)  contemplate  God's  perfection,  which 
-  humility.  (10)  We  must  often  use  prayer  as  an  instru- 
ment of  religion  ;  (11)  religion  is  advanced  by  the  same  means 
with  which  it  began  ;  (12)  the  use  of  the  holy  sacrament  is 
peculiarly  appointed  to  nourish  and  increase  the  spiritual  life 
when  once  it  is  begotten  in  the  soul. 

Such  is  a  short  analysis  of  Scougal's  inspiring  book  (pp.  1-74). 


8       WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Scotch  minister.     Keferring  to  an  interview  he  had 
with  Charles  Wesley,  Whitefield  says  : — 

I  thankfully  embraced  the  opportunity  (and,  blessed 
be  God  !  it  was  one  of  the  most  profitable  visits  I  ever 
made  in  my  life).  My  soul  at  that  time  was  athirst 
for  some  spiritual  friends  to  lift  up  my  hands  when 
they  hung  down,  and  to  strengthen  my  feeble  knees. 
He  soon  discovered  it,  and,  like  a  wise  winner  of  souls, 
made  all  his  discourses  tend  that  way.  And  when  he 
had  put  into  my  hand  Professor  Frank's  treatise  against 
the  '  Fear  of  Man '  and  a  book  entitled  '  The  Country 
Parson's  Advice  to  his  Parishioners,'  the  last  of  which 
was  wonderfully  blessed  to  my  soul,  I  took  my  leave. 

In  a  short  time  he  let  me  have  another  book  entitled 
'The  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man'  (and,  though  I 
had  fasted,  watched,  and  prayed,  and  received  the 
sacrament  so  long,  yet  I  never  knew  what  true  religion 
was  till  God  sent  me  that  excellent  treatise  by  the 
hands  of  my  never-to-be-forgotten  friend). 

At  my  first  reading  it  I  wondered  what  the  author 
meant  by  saying  "  that  some  falsely  placed  religion  in 
going  to  church,  doing  hurt  to  no  one,  being  constant 
in  the  duties  of  the  closet,  and  now  and  then  reaching 
out  their  hands  to  give  alms  to  their  poor  neighbours." 
"  Alas  ! "  thought  I,  "  if  this  be  not  religion,  what  is  ? " 
God  soon  showed  me  ;  for  in  reading  a  few  lines  further, 
that  "  true  religion  was  a  union  of  the  soul  with  God, 
and  Christ  formed  within  us,"  a  ray  of  divine  light  was 
instantaneously  darted  in  upon  my  soul,  and  from  that 
moment,  but  not  till  then,  did  I  know  that  I  must  be 
a  new  creature.  .  .  .  From  time  to  time  Mr  Wesley 
permitted  me  to  come  unto  him,  and  instructed  me  as 
I  was  able  to  bear  it.  By  degrees  he  introduced  me 
to  the  rest  of  his  Christian  brethren  (the  Methodists). 


AVIIITEFIEI.D    AND    SCOUGAL.  9 

They  built  me  up  daily  in  the  knowledge  and  fear  of 
God,  and  taught  me  to  endure  hardness  like  a  good 
soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.1 

Again  he  says  at  a  later  period  of  his  life  (1769) — 

I  must  bear  testimony  to  my  old  friend,  Mr  Charles 
Wesley.  He  put  a  book  into  my  hands  called  'The 
Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man,'  whereby  God  showed 
me  that  I  must  be  born  again  or  be  damned.  I  know 
the  place  :  it  may  perhaps  be  superstitious,  but  when- 
ever I  go  to  Oxford  I  cannot  help  running  to  the  spot 
where  Jesus  Christ  first  revealed  Himself  to  me,  and 
gave  me  the  new  birth.  I  learned  that  a  man  may  go 
to  church,  say  his  prayers,  receive  the  sacrament,  and 
yet  not  be  a  Christian.  How  did  my  heart  rise  and 
shudder  like  a  poor  man  that  is  afraid  to  look  into 
his  ledger  lest  he  should  find  himself  a  bankrupt. 
"  Shall  I  burn  this  book  ?  shall  I  throw  it  down  1  or 
shall  I  search  it  ? "  I  did  search  it ;  and,  holding  the 
book  in  my  hand,  thus  addressed  the  God  of  heaven 
and  earth  :  "  Lord,  if  I  am  not  a  Christian,  for  Jesus 
Christ's  sake  show  me  what  Christianity  is,  that  I 
may  not  be  damned  at  last."  I  read  a  little  further, 
and  discovered  that  they  who  know  anything  of  religion 
know  it  is  a  vital  union  with  the  Son  of  God — Christ 
formed  in  the  heart.  0  what  a  ray  of  divine  life  did 
then  break  in  upon  my  soul  !  I  fell  a- writing  to  all 
ray  brethren  and  to  my  sisters.  I  talked  to  the 
students  as  they  came  into  my  room.  I  laid  aside 
all  trifling  conversation.  I  put  all  trifling  books  away, 
and  was  determined  to  study  to  be  a  saint,  and  then  to 
scholar.     From  that  moment  God  has  Ijeen  carry- 


1  Tyerrnan's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  1' 


10      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

ing  on  His  blessed  work  in  my  soul.  I  am  now  fifty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  shall  leave  you  in  a  few  days  ; 
but  I  tell  you,  my  brethren,  I  am  more  and  more  con- 
vinced that  this  is  the  truth  of  God,  and  that  without 
it  you  can  never  be  saved  by  Jesus  Christ.1 

Such  is  Whitefield's  testimony,  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  Scougal's  remarkable  book  was  in- 
strumental in  creating  an  epoch-making  influence  in 
his  spiritual  life.  It  led  to  the  "  awakening  of  the 
soul,"  and  thus  a  Scottish  teacher  discharged  no 
unimportant  part  in  the  shaping  of  the  greatest  pul- 
pit orator  of  last  century;  and  Scotland,  while  it 
received  much  from  Whitefield,  also  gave  much  to 
Whitefield.  His  conversion  was  in  1735,  and  in 
1736  he  was  admitted  by  Bishop  Benson  into  holy 
orders.  1737  was  a  year  spent  by  him  in  preaching 
throughout  England  when  Wesley  was  in  Georgia, 
and  Gloucester,  Bristol,  and  London  were  stirred  by 
him  in  a  way  they  had  never  been  stirred  before.2 
He  became  a  "Gospel-rover,"  and  as  Charles  Wesley 
originated  Methodism,  so  George  Whitefield  origin- 
ated itinerancy  and  began  the  evangelical  revival. 
"  The  doctrine  of  the  new  birth  and  justification  by 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ  (though  I  was  not  so  clear  in 
it  as  afterwards)  made  its  way  like  lightning  into 
the   hearers'  consciences,"  3  and  in  his  great  work 

1  Eighteen  Sermons  preached  by  Kev.  George  Whitefield, 
revised  by  Dr  Gifford,  p.  359. 

2  John  Wesley,  by  J.  H.  Overton,  M.A.,  p.  86. 

3  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  73. 


FIELD-PKEACHING.  1 1 

WMtefield  was  as  happy  as  a  man  could  be  outside 
of  heaven.  Scougal's  influence  had  leavened  his 
thought  :  "  Some  place  religion  in  being  of  this  or 
that  communion ;  more  in  morality ;  most  in  a 
round  of  doctrine  ;  and  few,  very  few,  acknowledge 
it  to  be,  what  it  really  is,  a  thorough  inward  change 
of  nature,  a  divine  life,  a  participation  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  union  of  the  soul  with  God." 1 

His  first  visit  to  America  was  in  1738,  and  on  his 
return  to  England  in  December  he  found  all  the 
churches,  with  few  exceptions,  closed  against  him. 
In  January  1739  he  was  ordained  a  priest  by 
Bishop  Benson,2  and  commenced  the  outdoor  preach- 
ing which  was  afterwards  to  be  so  pronouncedly 
associated  with  his  name.  He  anticipated  the 
AVesleys,  as  Dean  Earrar  said,  "  in  having  been  the 
first  to  make  the  green  grass  his  pulpit  and  the  blue 
heavens  his  sounding-board."  3  On  May  9,  1739,  he 
received  from  the  trustees  of  Georgia  five  hundred 
acres  of  land  for  his  Orphan  House,4  and  as  far  as 
Scotland  is  related  in  the  movement  it  henceforth 
received  periodical  preaching-visits  from  Whitefield, 
and  helped  him  very  liberally  by  contributions  to 
his  philanthropic  work.  As  we  are  here  chiefly  con- 
cerned with  his  influence  in  Scotland,  it  will  now 
be  necessary  to  state  the  facts  regarding  his  early 
visits.     The  Rev.   Ralph  Erskine,  one  of  the  four 

I  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  96.  -  Ibid.,  p.  158. 

3  Wesley:  The  Man,  his  Teaching,  and  hifl  Work,  p.  183. 

4  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  215. 


12      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

brethren   of  the  Associate   Presbytery,  wrote   him 
regarding  a  visit  to  Scotland.     His  Diary  states — 

May  18,  1739. — Received  an  excellent  letter  from  Mr 
Ralph  Erskine,  a  field-preacher  of  the  Scots  Church,  a 
noble  soldier  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.1 

Again  : — 

July  22,  1739. — Received  a  letter  from  Mr  Ralph 
Erskine,  of  Scotland.  Some  may  be  offended  at  my 
corresponding  with  him,  but  I  dare  not  but  confess 
my  Lord's  disciples.2 

The  following  is  Whitefield's  answer  to  Mr 
Erskine's  letter,  referred  to  in  the  above  extract  : — 

London,  July  23,  1739. 
Reverend  and  dear  Sir, — Yesterday  with  great 
pleasure  I  received  your  kind  letter.  I  was  afraid  lest 
I  should  have  offended  you.  If  this  should  be  the  case 
at  any  time,  reprove  me  sharply,  and  I  shall  thank 
you  with  my  whole  heart.  I  bless  God  that  my  ser- 
mons are  approved  of  by  you.  I  am  but  a  novice  in 
the  school  of  Christ,  but  my  Master  enlightens  me 
more  and  more  every  day  to  know  the  exceeding  great 
riches  and  freedom  of  His  grace  to  all  who  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ.  By  this  time  I  hope  you  have  seen  my 
journal,  and  have  given  thanks  for  what  great  things 
God  has  done  for  my  soul.  An  appendix  will  be 
printed  shortly.  The  success  of  the  Gospel  increases 
daily.  Opposition  also  increases  daily  ;  but  as  oppo- 
sition abounds,  so  does  my  inward  consolation.  .  .  . 
My  tenderest  affections  await  all  the  Associate  Pres- 


Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  216.  2  Ibid.,  p.  267. 


RALPH   ERSK3NE.  13 

bytery.  I  am  opposed  for  owning  you  ;  but  to  deny 
our  Lord's  disciples,  in  my  opinion,  is  denying  Christ 
Himself.  Providence  detains  me  here.  Pray  write  by 
next  post  to,  rev.  and  dear  sir,  yours  most  affectionately 
in  the  bowels  of  Christ,  George  Whitefield.1 

Erskine  in  his  reply  expresses  the  hope  that  there 
will  be  "  a  haprjy  union  in  the  Lord  "  between  the 
Oxford  Methodists  and  the  Associate  Presbytery, 
"  not  only  in  a  private  and  personal,  but  even  in  a 
more  public  and  general  way."  With  regard  to 
the  Secession  he  adds  : — 

You  say  that  so  long  as  the  Articles  of  the  Church 
of  England  are  agreeable  to  Scripture,  you  resolve  to 
preach  them  up,  without  either  bigotry  or  party  zeal. 
This  is  the  case  with  us.  We  preach  up  and  defend, 
doctrinally  and  judicially,  those  Articles  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  agreeable  to  the  Scriptures,  which  the 
judicatories  are  letting  go.  Hence,  I  conclude,  you  are 
just  of  our  mind  as  to  separation  from  an  established 
Church.  We  never  declared  a  secession  from  the 
Church  of  Scotland,  but  only  a  secession  from  the 
judicatories  in  their  course  of  defection  from  the  prim- 
itive and  covenanted  constitution,  to  which  we  stood 
bound  by  our  ordination  engagements.2 

About  this  period  Whitefield  became  somewhat 
pronounced  in  the  Calvinistic  position.  It  is 
known  from  his  Journal  3  that  he  had  been  reading 
the  sermons  of  Ralph  and  Ebenezer  Erskine,  and 
probably  this   i.s   the  source   of  the  change,   which 

1  See  Life  and  Diary  of  Rev.  Ralph  Erskine. 
-  Ut  supra.  3  June  9, 1739. 


14      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

was  also  accelerated  by  the  correspondence  already 
referred  to.  Whitefield  visited  America  in  1739, 
when  the  views  to  which  he  was  previously  inclined 
were  strengthened  by  his  intercourse  with  Jonathan 
Edwards.  It  is  said  "  that  he  caught  the  tone  and 
imbibed  the  opinions  of  Edwards," 1  but  the 
Erskines  evidently  laid  the  foundation  upon  which 
the  superstructure  was  afterwards  built  during  the 
American  visit.  Mr  Tyerman,  while  "  totally  dis- 
believing his  Calvinian  doctrine,"  adds  : — 

Whilst  sorrowing  that  his  embracing  those  doctrines 
should  have  occasioned  a  temporary  breach  of  the 
friendship  existing  between  him  and  Wesley,  it  is  an 
unquestionable  fact  that  this  opened  to  Whitefield  a 
wide  field  of  usefulness,  which,  without  it,  neither  he 
nor  Wesley  could  have  occupied.  Without  this  White- 
field  could  not  have  had  the  sympathy  and  co-opera- 
tion of  the  Presbyterians  and  Independents  of  America. 
It  was  this  that  prepared  the  way  for  his  popularity 
in  Scotland.  But  for  this  he  would  have  lacked  the 
important  patronage  of  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon. 
This  was  one  of  the  prime  sources  of  the  immense 
influence  he  exercised  over  Hervey,  Berridge,  Komaine, 
Venn,  and  many  other  contemporaneous  clergymen  of 
the  Church  of  England  ;  and  it  also,  to  an  untold 
extent,  enabled  him  to  move  and  quicken  the  Dis- 
senting ministers  and  congregations  of  the  land.2  It 
is  also  right  to  add  [continues  Mr  Tyerman]  that 
Whitefield's  Calvinism  never  interfered  with  his  warm- 
hearted declarations  concerning  the  universality  of  re- 
deeming love,  and  the  willingness  of  Christ  to  save 


i  Life  of  Sir  Richard  Hill,  p.  171.         -  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  275. 


SCOTTISH   REVIVAL  15 

all  who  come  to   Him.      Doubtless  there  was   some 
degree   of  inconsistency  in   this  ;   but   it   only  shows 

that  the  man's  heart  was  larger  than  his  creed.1 

Whitefield's  Calvinistic  evangelicalism  was  the 
source  of  his  influence  last  century  in  Scotland, 
and  it  opened  for  him  doors  of  access  that  were 
shut  to  Wesley. 

AYhiteneld  started  on  this  second  visit  to  America 
on  August  1739,  and  did  not  return  until  March 
1741.  The  following  was  written  during  his 
voyage,  and  was  addressed  to  the  Erskines  and 
their  followers  : — 

Though  I  know  none  of  you  in  person,  yet,  from 
the  time  I  heard  of  your  faith  and  love  towards  our 
dear  Lord  Jesus,  I  have  been  acquainted  with  you  in 
spirit,  and  have  constantly  mentioned  you  in  my  poor 
prayers.  I  find  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Lord  prospers 
in  your  hands  ;  and  I  pray  God  to  increase  you  more 
and  more.  Scotland,  like  England,  has  been  so  much 
settled  upon  its  lees  for  some  time  that  I  fear  our 
late  days  may  properly  be  called  the  midnight  of  the 
Church.  I  cannot  but  think  a  winnowing-time  will 
come  after  this  ingathering  of  souls.  0  that  we  may 
suffer  only  as  Christians,  and  then  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
and  of  glory  will  rest  upon  us.  In  patience  possess 
your  souls.  I  will  leave  my  cause  to  God.  The 
eternal  God  will  be  your  perpetual  refuge.  He  who 
employs  will  protect.  As  your  day  is,  so  shall  your 
strength  be.2 

From  America  he  wrote  the  following  to  the 
Rev.    Ralph    Erskine,    which    shows   that  he    had 

i  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  305.  -  Ibid.,  p.  311. 


16      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

scruples  regarding  the   Scottish   Seceders,   and  re- 
garded them  as  bordering  on  Cameronianisrn : — 

I  bless  the  Lord,  from  my  soul,  for  raising  you 
and  several  other  burning  and  shining  lights  to  appear 
for  Him  in  this  midnight  of  the  Church.  My  heart 
has  been  much  warmed  by  reading  some  of  your 
sermons,  especially  that  preached  before  the  Associate 
Presbytery.  I  long  more  and  more  to  hear  of  the 
rise  and  progress  of  your  proceedings,  and  how  far  you 
would  willingly  carry  the  reformation  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland.  My  ignorance  of  the  constitution  of  the 
Scotch  Church  is  the  cause  of  my  writing  after  this 
manner.  I  should  be  obliged  to  you  if  you  would 
recommend  to  me  some  useful  books,  especially  such  as 
open  the  holy  sacrament.  I  like  Boston's  'Fourfold 
State  of  Man'  exceedingly.  Under  God,  it  has  been 
of  much  service  to  my  soul.  I  believe  I  agree  with  you 
and  him  in  the  essential  truths  of  Christianity.  .  .  . 
My  only  scruple  at  present  is  "  whether  you  approve  of 
taking  the  sword  in  defence  of  your  religious  rights  ? " 
One  of  our  English  bishops,  when  I  was  with  him, 
called  you  Cameronians.  They,  I  think,  took  up  arms, 
which  I  think  to  be  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  His  apostles.  Some  few  passages  in  your 
sermon  before  the  Presbytery  I  thought  were  a  little 
suspicious  of  favouring  that  principle.  I  pray  God 
your  next  may  inform  me  that  I  am  mistaken  ;  for 
when  zeal  carries  us  to  such  a  length,  I  think  it  ceases 
to  be  zeal  according  to  knowledge.1 

From  Savannah  on  January  16,  1740,  he  again 
wrote  to  the  Eev.  Ealph  Erskine : — 

i  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  i.  pp.  333,  334. 


RALPH   ERSKINE.  17 

Von  may  depend  on  my  not  being  prejudiced  against 
you  or  your  brethren  by  any  evil  report.  ...  I  assure 
you,  dear  sir,  I  am  fully  convinced  of  the  doctrine  of 
election,  free  justification,  and  final  perseverance.  .  .  . 
I  think  I  have  but  one  objection  against  your  proceed- 
ings— your  insisting  on  Presbyterian  Government,  ex- 
clusive of  all  other  ways  of  worshipping  God.  Will 
not  this  necessarily  lead  you  (whenever  you  get  the 
upper  hand)  to  oppose  and  persecute  all  that  differ 
from  you  in  their  church  government  or  outward  way 
of  worshipping  God  ?  Our  dear  brother  and  fellow- 
labourer,  Mr  Gilbert  Tennent,  thinks  this  will  be  the 
consequence,  and  said  he  would  write  to  you  about  it. 
For  my  own  part,  though  I  profess  myself  a  minister 
of  the  Church  of  England,  I  am  of  catholic  spirit  ;  and 
if  I  see  any  man  who  loves  the  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity, 
1  am  not  very  solicitous  to  what  outward  communion 
he  belongs.1 

On  February  16,  1741,  he  writes  again  to  Mr 
Erskine  : — 

You  and  your  brethren  are  dearer  to  me  than  ever. 
Your  '  Sonnets  and  Sermons '  have  been  blessed  to  me 
and  many.  The  former  are  reprinted  in  America. 
I  want  all  your  own  and  your  brother's  works.  Since 
I  have  been  on  board  I  have  been  much  helped  by 
reading  the  'Marrow  of  Modern  Divinity.'  I  have 
i  erased  '  Boston  on  the  Covenant '  ;  and  this 
morning  have  been  solacing  myself  with  your  'Para- 
phrase upon  Solomon's  Song.'  Blessed  be  our  Lord 
for  helping  you  in  that  composition  !  .  .  .  I  hope  my 
love  will  find  acceptance  with  your  dear  brother  and 

1  Tyernian's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  352. 
B 


18      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

all  the  Associate  Presbytery.  My  prayers  always 
attend  them.  I  should  be  glad  to  sit  at  their  feet 
and  be  taught  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly.1 

George  Whitefield  thus  sympathised  with  the 
objects  of  the  Scottish  Secession,  came  to  Scotland 
on  the  invitation  of  the  Erskines,  and  at  first 
proposed  to  preach  under  their  auspices.  John 
Wesley  differed  from  him  in  this,  and  was  most 
pronounced  against  such  movements. 

Although  [he  says]  we  call  sinners  to  repentance 
in  all  places  of  God's  dominion  ;  and  although  we 
frequently  use  extempore  prayers  and  unite  together 
in  religious  society ;  yet  we  are  not  dissenters  in  the 
only  sense  which  our  law  acknowledges.  .  .  .  We  are 
not  Seceders  ;  nor  do  we  bear  any  resemblance  to 
them.  We  set  out  upon  quite  opposite  principles.  The 
Seceders  laid  the  very  foundation  of  their  work  in 
judging  and  condemning  others  ;  we  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  our  work  in  judging  and  condemning  ourselves. 
They  begin  everywhere  with  showing  their  hearers 
how  fallen  the  Church  and  ministers  are.  We  begin 
everywhere  with  showing  our  hearers  how  fallen  they 
are  themselves.2 

Whitefield  came  to  Scotland  on  the  invitation  of 
the  Erskines,  and  with  the  resolve  to  ally  himself 
in  religious  work  with  the  Scottish  Secession.  The 
most  pronounced  and  outstanding  in  this  move- 
ment were  Ebenezer  Erskine  of  Stirling;  Ealph 
Erskine  of  Dunfermline  ;  William  Wilson  of  Perth  ; 

1  Ut  supra,  pp.  461,  462. 

2  Wesley's  Works,  vol.  viii.  p.  321. 


SCOTTISH   SECESSION.  19 

Alexander  Moncrieff  of  Abernethy ;  James  Fisher 
of  Kinclaven,  They  seceded  from  the  Church  of 
Scotland  on  account  of  the  doctrinal  defections  of 
the  period  and  the  prevalence  of  Arian  and  Socinian 
views  within  the  Church ;  they  also  maintained  the 
rights  of  the  people  in  the  election  of  ministers, 
and  protested  against  the  patronage  laws.  In  so 
far  as  the  Secession  was  an  earnest  endeavour  to 
restore  the  religious  spirit  of  the  country  and 
maintain  purity  of  doctrine,  the  Scottish  move- 
ment corresponded  much  wTith  the  English  evan- 
gelical movement,  at  the  head  of  which  were  the 
Wesleys  and  Whitefield.  George  Whitefield,  how- 
ever, was  more  in  harmony  with  the  doctrinal  posi- 
tion of  the  Scottish  Seceders  than  John  Wesley. 
Like  "Whitefield,  they  were  evangelical  Calvinists, 
and  like  him,  they  had  inaugurated  a  new  period 
of  field -preaching,  which  had  not  been  a  novelty 
to  the  Scottish  people  during  the  time  of  the 
Covenants  in  the  previous  century,  but  had  fallen 
into  abeyance  since  the  Revolution  Settlement. 
The  seventeenth  century  in  Scotland  wras  both 
characterised  by  a  popular  struggle  for  civil  and 
religious  liberty,  and  also  by  an  earnest  religious 
revival.  The  religious  life  of  the  country  had  been 
quickened  by  the  preaching  of  the  Covenanting 
ministers  on  the  moors  and  hillsides,  and  when 
"Whitefield  adopted  it,  he  was  on  the  line  of  mighty 
association  and  quenchless  memories.  What  was 
a  novelty  south  of  the  Tweed  was  familiar  to  the 


20      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN   SCOTLAND. 

people  north  of  the  Tweed,  and  helped  Whitefield 
to  become  a  great  religious  force  in  Scotland. 

After  his  return  to  England  in  1741,  with  his 
Calvinism  strengthened  by  a  long  intercourse  with 
Jonathan  Edwards  in  America,  Whitefield  was  urged 
to  visit  Scotland.  Ralph  Erskine  renewed  his  warm 
invitation  :  April  10,  1741,  he  writes  : — 

"We  and  our  people  have  all  a  notion  of  you  as  being 
in  the  way  of  reformation.  I  am  persuaded  that  your 
coming  to  us  would  be  matter  of  great  joy.  How  great 
is  our  need  of  such  awakening  gales  of  heaven  as  you 
speak  of  in  the  last  visit  you  made  to  Georgia  ! 

Come,  if  possible,  dear  Whitefield,  come.  There  is 
no  face  on  earth  I  would  desire  more  earnestly  to  see. 
Yet  I  would  desire  it  only  in  a  way  that,  I  think, 
would  tend  most  to  the  advancing  of  our  Lord's  king- 
dom and  the  reformation  work  among  our  hands.  Such 
is  the  situation  of  affairs  among  us,  that  unless  you 
come  with  a  design  to  meet  and  abide  with  us  of  "  the 
Associate  Presbytery,"  and  if  you  make  your  public 
appearances  in  the  places  especially  of  their  concern, 
I  would  dread  the  consequence  of  your  coming,  lest 
it  should  seem  equally  to  countenance  our  persecutors. 
Your  fame  would  occasion  a  flocking  to  you,  to  what- 
ever side  you  turn  ;  and,  if  it  should  be  in  their  pul- 
pits, as  no  doubt  some  of  them  would  urge,  we  know 
how  it  would  be  improved  against  us.  I  know  not 
with  whom  you  could  safely  join  yourself,  if  not  with 
us.  .  .  .  You  are  still  dearer  and  dearer  to  me.  By 
your  last  Journal  I  observed  your  growing  zeal  for 
the  doctrine  of  grace.  Kalph  Erskine.1 


1  Life  and  Diary,  p.  322. 


PRESBYTER   AT   LARGE.  21 

"Whitefield's  answer  is  contained  in  the  following 
letters  to  the  Erskines  : — 

Bristol,  May  16,  1741. 

This  morning  I  received  a  kind  letter  from  your 
brother  Ealph,  who  thinks  it  best  for  me  wholly  to 
join  "the  Associate  Presbytery"'  if  it  should  please 
God  to  send  me  into  Scotland.  This  I  cannot  alto- 
gether agree  to.  I  come  only  as  an  occasional  preacher 
to  preach  the  simple  Gospel  to  all  who  are  willing  to 
hear  me,  of  whatever  denomination.  It  will  be  wrong 
in  me  to  join  in  a  reformation  as  to  church  government 
any  further  than  I  have  light  given  me  from  above. 
If  I  am  quite  neuter  as  to  that  in  my  preaching,  I 
cannot  see  how  it  can  hinder  or  retard  any  design  you 
may  have  on  foot.  My  business  seems  to  be  to  evan- 
gelise, to  be  a  Presbyter  at  large. 

"When  I  shall  be  sent  in  your  parts  I  know  not.  I 
write  this  that  there  may  not  be  the  least  misunder- 
standing between  us.  I  love  and  honour  "the  Asso- 
ciate Presbytery."  With  this  I  send  them  my  due 
respects,  and  most  humbly  beg  their  prayers.  But 
let  them  not  be  offended  if  in  all  things  I  cannot 
immediately  fall  in  with  them.  Let  them  leave  me 
to  God.  Whatever  light  He  is  pleased  to  give  me, 
I  hope  I  shall  be  faithful  to  it. 

George  Whitefield.1 


First  Visit  to  Scotland,   1741. 

"Whitefield  arrived  in  Scotland  on  July  30,  1741, 
and   spent    his   first  night  with   Ralph  Erskine  at 

1  Tjrerman'fl  Life,  vol.  i.  pp.  505,  506. 


22      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Dunfermline,  who  the  next  day  wrote  thus  to  his 
brother  Ebenezer  : — 

Dunfermline,  July  31,  1741. 

Mr  Whitefield  came  to  me  yesternight  about  ten. 
I  had  conversation  with  him  alone  this  forenoon.  I 
only  mention  this  one  thing  about  his  ordination  :  he 
owned  he  then  knew  no  other  way,  but  said  he  would 
not  have  it  that  way  again  for  a  thousand  worlds. 
As  to  his  preaching,  he  declares  he  can  refuse  no  call 
to  preach  Christ,  whoever  gives  it ;  were  it  a  Jesuit 
priest  or  a  Mahomedan  he  would  embrace  it  for  testi- 
fying against  them.  He  preached  in  my  meeting-house 
this  afternoon.     The  Lord  is  evidently  with  him.1 

On  August  5,  1741,  Whitefield  met  "the  Asso- 
ciate Presbytery  "  at  Dunfermline,  and  an  account 
of  the  conference  is  given  in  a  letter  he  wrote  to 
a  friend  in  New  York  : — 

Edinburgh,  August  8,  1741. 

My  dear  Brother, — "The  Associate  Presbytery" 
are  so  confined  that  they  will  not  so  much  as  hear 
me  preach  unless  I  will  join  with  them.  Mr  Ralph 
Erskine,  indeed,  did  hear  me  and  went  with  me  into 
the  pulpit  of  the  Canongate  Church.  The  people  were 
ready  to  shout  for  joy  ;  but,  I  believe,  it  gave  offence  to 
his  associates. 

I  met  most  of  them,  according  to  appointment,  on 
Wednesday  last.  A  set  of  grave  venerable  men  !  They 
soon  proposed  to  form  themselves  into  a  presbytery, 
and  were  proceeding  to  choose  a  moderator.  I  asked 
them  for  what  purpose  ?  They  answered  to  discourse, 
and  set  me  right  about  the  matter  of  church  govern- 
ment, and  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant.    I  replied 


i  Life  and  Diary,  p.  326. 


THE  SOLEMN  LEAGUE  AND  COVENANT.   23 

they  might  save  themselves  that  trouble,  for  I  had  no 
scruples  about  it  ;  and  that  settling  church  govern- 
ment and  preaching  about  the  Solemn  League  and 
Covenant  was  not  my  plan.  I  then  told  them  some- 
thing about  my  experience,  and  how  I  was  led  out 
into  my  present  way  of  acting.  One  in  particular 
said  he  was  deeply  affected  ;  and  dear  Mr  Erskine 
desired  they  would  have  patience  with  me  ;  for  that, 
having  been  born  and  bred  in  England,  and  having 
never  studied  the  point,  I  could  not  be  supposed  to 
be  so  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  their 
covenants.  One,  much  warmer  than  the  rest,  immedi- 
ately replied,  "that  no  indulgence  was  to  be  shown 
me  ;  that  England  had  revolted  most  with  respect  to 
church  government ;  and  that  I,  born  and  educated 
there,  could  not  but  be  acquainted  with  the  matter 
now  in  debate."  I  told  him  I  had  never  yet  made 
the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant  the  object  of  my 
study,  being  busy  about  matters,  as  I  judged,  of  greater 
importance.  Several  replied  that  every  pin  of  the 
tabernacle  was  precious.  I  said  that  in  every  build- 
ing there  were  outside  and  inside  workmen  ;  that  the 
latter  at  present  was  my  province  ;  that  if  they  thought 
themselves  called  to  the  former,  they  might  proceed 
in  their  own  way  and  I  should  proceed  in  mine.  I 
then  asked  them  seriously  what  they  would  have  me 
to  do  ?  The  answer  was,  that  I  was  not  desired  to 
subscribe  immediately  to  the  Solemn  League  and  Cov- 
enant, but  to  preach  only  for  them  till  I  had  further 
light.  I  asked,  why  only  for  them  ?  Mr  Ralph  Erskine 
said,  "They  were  the  Lord's  people."  I  then  asked 
whether  there  were  no  other  Lord's  people  but  them- 
selves ?  and,  supposing  all  others  were  the  devil's  people, 
they  certainly  had  more  need  to  be  preached  to  ;  and 
therefore  I  was  more  and  more  determined  to  go  out 
into  the  highways  and  hedges  ;  and  that  if  the  Pope 


24      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

himself  would  lend  me  his  pulpit,  I  would  gladly  pro- 
claim the  righteousness  of  Christ  therein.  Soon  after 
this  the  company  broke  up  ;  and  one  of  these,  other- 
wise venerable  men,  immediately  went  into  the  meeting- 
house and  preached  upon  these  words,  "Watchman, 
what  of  the  night?  Watchman,  what  of  the  night? 
The  watchman  said,  The  morning  cometh,  and  also 
the  night :  if  ye  will  inquire,  inquire  ye :  return, 
come."  I  attended,  but  the  good  man  so  spent  him- 
self in  the  former  part  of  his  sermon,  in  talking 
against  prelacy,  the  Common  Prayer  Book,  the  sur- 
plice, the  rose  in  the  hat,  and  such  like  externals,  that 
when  he  came  to  the  latter  part  of  his  text,  to  invite 
poor  sinners  to  Jesus  Christ,  his  breath  was  so  gone 
that  he  could  scarce  be  heard.  What  a  pity  that  the 
last  was  not  first,  and  the  first  last ! 

The  consequence  of  all  this  was  an  open  breach.  I 
retired  ;  I  wept ;  I  prayed  ;  and  after  preaching  in 
the  fields,  sat  down  and  dined  with  them,  and  then 
took  a  final  leave.  At  table  a  gentlewoman  said  she 
had  heard  that  I  had  told  some  people  that  "the 
Associate  Presbytery "  were  building  a  Babel.  I  said, 
"  Madam,  it  is  quite  true  ;  and  I  believe  the  Babel 
will  soon  fall  down  about  their  ears."  But  enough 
of  this.  Lord,  what  is  man  ?  what  the  best  of  men  ? 
but  men  at  the  best !  I  think  I  have  now  seen  an 
end  of  all  perfection.  Our  brethren  in  America,  blessed 
be  God  !  have  not  so  learned  Christ.  Be  pleased  to 
inform  them  of  this  letter. — Ever  yours  in  our  common 
Lord,  George  Whitefield.1 

The  Associate  Presbytery  thus  rejected  and  after- 
wards   openly  denounced  Whitefield,   and   he    de- 
clined to  work  under  the  narrow  limits  they  were 
1  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  i.  pp.  509,  510. 


CHURCH   OF  SCOTLAND.  25 

fixing  for  him.  He  found,  however,  a  hearty  wel- 
come from  many  of  the  ministers  and  laity  of  the 
Church  of  Scotland,  and  Avithin  the  pulpits  of  the 
Establishment  and  in  open-air  preaching  a  larger 
and  more  open-minded  audience  than  the  Associate 
Presbytery  could  have  given  him.  While  the 
pulpits  of  the  Church  of  England  were  since  1738 
closed  against  him,  Whitefield  found  many  of  the 
pulpits  in  the  Church  of  Scotland  open  to  him  ;  and 
it  is  only  historically  just  to  acknowledge  this 
larger  charity,  and  to  rejoice  in  finding  it  during  a 
period  when  the  Church  of  Scotland  has  been  much 
assailed.  Whitefield's  catholicity  was  recognised 
by  the  Establishment  and  also  by  the  Scottish  press 
of  the  period.  "  This  gentleman,"  says  the  '  Scots 
Magazine  '  (July  1741),  "recommends  the  essentials 
of  religion  and  decries  the  distinguishing  punctilios 
of  parties  ;  mentions  often  the  circumstance  of  his 
own  regeneration,  and  what  success  he  has  had  in 
his  ministerial  labours." 

"The  pulpit  for  Christ,"  says  the  late  Dr  John 
Stoughton,  "was  virtually  Whitefield's  life-maxim," * 
and  he  had  now  a  great  opportunity  for  declaring 
this  in  Scotland. 

A  literary  work  by  Whitefield  and  Wesley  had 
also  helped  to  prepare  the  way,  for  one  of  their 
earliest  joint  works  was  'An  Abstract  of  the 
Life  and  Death  of  the  Reverend,  Learned,  and 
Pious  Mr  Thomas  Halyburton,  M.A.,  Professor 
i  The  Pen,  the  Palm,  and  the  Pulpit,  p.  108. 


26      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

of  Divinity  in  the  University  of  St  Andrews/ 
with  recommendatory  epistle  by  George  White- 
field  (dated  London,  5th  February  173f)  and 
Preface  by  John  Wesley  (dated  London,  February 
9,  173f).i 

Both  of  them  had  been  benefited  by  Scottish 
streams  of  piety  as  they  flowed  through  Leighton, 
Scougal,  Eutherford,  and  Halyburton,  and  they 
were  not  slow  to  make  the  acknowledgment ;  it  was 
to  open  up  these  streams  again  within  the  Church 
that  their  labours  were  henceforth  to  be  chiefly 
directed,  and  ultimately  to  be  so  pronouncedly 
successful. 

George  Whitefield's  Diary  and  Correspondence 
tell  their  own  artless  tale  regarding  his  work  in 
Scotland,  and  they  give  us  the  portrait  of  a  most 
interesting  man.  Whitefleld  awoke  the  slumbering 
energies  of  the  Church  and  gave  an  impulse  to 
philanthropic  and  missionary  work.  His  first  visit 
lasted  for  thirteen  weeks,  and  the  record  of  it  is  a 
heroic  one.     He  writes  : — 

Edinburgh,  August  8,  1741. 

On  Sunday  evening  (last)  I  preached  in  a  field  near 
the  Orphan  House  to  upwards  of  fifteen  thousand 
people  ;  and  on  Monday,  Friday,  and  Saturday  even- 


1  Thomas  Halyburton  was  born  on  December  25,  1674,  at 
Duplin,  in  the  parish  of  Aberdalgie,  near  Perth,  where  his 
father  was  parish  minister.  He  was  educated  at  Perth  and  St 
Andrews.  He  was  appointed  minister  of  Ceres,  Fife,  in  1700, 
and  was  admitted  Professor  of  Divinity  at  St  Andrews  in  1710. 
He  died  shortly  afterwards,  and  left  an  autobiography  (pp.  176- 


EDINBURGH.  27 

ings  to  near  as  many.  On  Tuesday  I  preached  in  the 
Canongate  Church  ;  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  at 
Dunfermline  ;  and  on  Friday  morning  at  Queensferry. 
Everywhere  the  auditories  were  large  and  very  atten- 
tive. Great  power  accompanied  the  Word.  Many 
have  been  brought  under  conviction. 

His  preaching  appealed  to  all  classes,  and  a  letter 
under  date  August  9,  1741,  describes  one  of  his 
Edinburgh  audiences  :— 

Numbers  of  all  ranks,  all  denominations,  and  all 
characters  came  to  hear  him,  though  his  sermons 
abound  with  those  truths  which  would  be  unwelcomed 
from  the  mouths  of  others.  Three  hours  before  noon 
he  appoints  for  people  under  distress  to  converse  with 
him.1 

He  received  two  invitations  :  one  from  the  Eev. 
Mr  AVillison,  minister  of  Dundee,  to  visit  his 
parish ;  in  his  reply  he  speaks  of  "  the  divisions  of 
Scotland  as  affecting  and  will  occasion  great  search- 
ings  of  heart."  Another  from  the  Eev.  Mr  Ogilvie 
of  Aberdeen,  invited  him  to  visit  the  northern  city  ; 
and  in  his  reply  he  again  expresses  himself  as 
grieved  at  the  Scottish  divisions  and  indicates 
their  remedy  : — 

I  find  it  best  simply  to  preach  the  pure  Gospel,  and 
not  to  meddle  at  all  with  controversy.     The  present 


298),  which  was  conjointly  published  by  Whitefield  and  John 
Wesley.  (See  Jackson's  Library  of  Christian  Biography,  12 
vols.  :  vol.  i.  containing  John  Wesley's  Preface,  pp.  171-175.) 
He  was  known  as  the  "Holy  Halyburton,"  and  his  autobio- 
graphy was  extensively  read. 
1  Gillies'  Memoirs  of  Whitefield. 


28      WESLEY  AND  WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

divisions  are  a  sore  judgment  to  Scotland.  This  is 
my  comfort,  Jesus  is  King.  ...  0  that  the  power  of 
religion  may  revive  !  Nothing  but  that  can  break 
down  the  partition  wall  of  bigotry. 

To  Lord  Rae  he  writes  : — 

Why  should  we,  who  are  pilgrims,  mind  earthly 
things  ?  Why  should  we,  who  are  soldiers,  entangle 
ourselves  with  the  things  of  this  life  ?  Heavenly- 
mindedness  is  the  very  life  of  a  Christian.  It  is  all 
in  all. 

To  the  Marquis  of  Lothian  : — 

I  thank  your  lordship  for  your  intended  benefaction 
to  the  poor  Georgia  orphans. 

His  letters  manifest  a  mind  elevated  above  the 
secondary  matters  of  religion,  absorbed  in  the 
advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  Christ- 
ian beneficence.  They  also  give  the  glimpse  of  a 
spiritually  awakened  people  concerned  about  eternal 
things.  In  a  letter  dated  "Edinburgh,  August  15, 
1741,"  he  writes  :— 

Every  morning  I  have  a  levee  of  wounded  souls.  At 
seven  in  the  morning  we  have  a  lecture  in  the  fields, 
attended  not  only  by  the  common  people,  but  persons 
of  great  rank.  I  have  reason  to  think  several  of  the 
latter  sort  are  coming  to  Jesus.  Little  children  are 
also  much  wrought  upon.  Congregations  consist  of 
many  thousands.  I  preach  twice  daily,  and  expound  in 
private  houses  at  night,  and  am  employed  in  speaking 
to  souls  under  distress  great  part  of  the  day. 


GLASGOW.  29 

At  the  end  of  August  Whitefield  preached  in  the 
Scottish  provinces,  and  after  his  return  to  Edinburgh 
wrote  thus  to  a  friend  :  — 

Edinburgh,  September  24, 1741. 
On  Sunday  last  T  preached  here  four*  times,  twice  in 
a  church  and  twice  in  the  fields  ;  in  the  evening  I 
collected  £20  for  the  Eoyal  Infirmary.  On  Monday 
morning  I  visited  the  children  in  the  three  hospitals, 
and  preached  in  the  evening  in  the  Park.  On  Tuesday 
and  Wednesday  I  preached  at  Kinglassie,  Aberdour, 
and  Inverkeithing.  On  Thursday  I  visited  the  prison, 
and  in  the  evening  preached  to  the  children  of  the 
city,  with  a  congregation  of  near  twenty  thousand,  in 
the  Park. 

At  Glasgow  he  preached  ten  times  in  the  High 
( hurchyard  chiefly,  and  eight  of  his  sermons  were 
printed  at  the  request  of  his  great  Glasgow  audi- 
ences.1 His  orphan-home  at  Georgia  was  now  com- 
pleted, and  Scotland  helped  him  in  the  beneficent 
undertaking.  During  his  first  Scottish  tour  he 
received  by  private  benefactions  and  collections 
£572,  16s.  5  Jd. ;  from  four  Scottish  towns  he  re- 
ceived the  compliment  of  honorary  burgess-tickets — 
viz.,  Glasgow,  Aberdeen,  Stirling,  and  Paisley.2 

The  Earl  of  Leven  and  Melville,  his  Majesty's 
Commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church 

1  See  Appendix  to  '  Revivals  of  the  Eighteenth  Century,'  with 
Sermons  by  Whitefield. 

'-'  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  523.  The  same  honour  was  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  Irvine  in  1742,  and  by  Edinburgh  in  1762, 
ut  supra. 


30      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

of  Scotland  from  1741  to  1753,  and  his  Countess, 
Mary  Erskine  of  Carnock,  aunt  of  the  Eev.  Dr  John 
Erskine  of  the  Greyfriars'  Church,  Edinburgh,  took 
great  interest  in  Whitefield's  work,  and  had  him  as 
their  guest  in  Melville  House.  This  nobleman  took 
a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Church  to  which 
he  was  hereditarily  attached,  and  with  the  history 
of  which  his  own  family  was  closely  related.1 
Whitefield  wrote  to  him  in  1741  : — 

I  have  heard  of  the  piety  of  your  lordship's  ancestors. 
Take  courage,  my  lord,  and  fear  not  to  follow  a  cruci- 
fied Jesus  without  the  camp,  bearing  His  reproach. 
Beware  of  honour,  falsely  so  called.  Dare  to  be 
singularly  good,  and  be  not  ashamed  of  Jesus  or  His 
Gospel.  Look  to  Christ  by  faith,  and  your  lordship's 
great  possessions  will  not  retard,  but  promote  your 
progress  in  the  divine  life.  What  sweet  communion 
will  you  then  enjoy  with  God  in  your  walks  and 
gardens  !  They  will  then  be  a  little  paradise  to  your 
soul. 

At  Aberdeen,  whither  he  had  gone  to  preach  on 
the  invitation  of  the  Eev.  Mr  Ogilvie,  he  was 
attacked  by  the  collegiate  minister  as  a  "  curate  of 
the  Church  of  England,"  and  as  holding  views  that 
were  "grossly  Arminian."  Whitefield's  attitude 
was  graceful : — 

I  took  no  other  notice  of  the  good  man's  ill-timed 
zeal  than  to  observe,  in  some  part  of  my  discourse, 


1  An  Account  of  Dr  Alexander  Webster,  of  the  High  Church, 
Edinburgh,  p.  108. 


mmimmmmmmmmmm — 


PREACHING   ACTIVITY.  31 

that  if  the  good  old  gentleman  had  seen  some  of  my 
later  writings,  wherein  I  had  eorrected  several  of  my 
former  mistakes,  he  would  not  have  expressed  himself 
in  such  strong  terms.  The  people,  being  thus  diverted 
from  controversy  with  man,  were  deeply  impressed 
with  what  they  heard  from  the  Word  of  God.  All 
were  hushed  and  more  than  solemn,  and  on  the 
morrow  the  magistrates  sent  for  me  and  begged  I 
would  accept  of  the  freedom  of  the  city. 

Leaving  Aberdeen  on  Wednesday,  October  13, 
TVhitefield  commenced  his  return  journey  to  Edin- 
burgh. His  journey  was  characterised  by  the  usual 
preaching  activity  in  villages  and  towns  on  the 
way  :  on  his  arrival  in  Edinburgh  he  preached  and 
lectured  not  fewer  than  sixteen  times  in  three  days. 
It  is  a  record  of  brilliant  activity  and  unwearied 
devotion  in  his  Master's  service,  and  "Whitefield 
traced  his  strength  to  a  divine  source.  To  his 
curate  at  the  Tabernacle,  London,  he  wrote  : — 

Edinburgh,  October  27,  1741. 

My  very  dear  Brother, — Although  it  is  past 
eleven  at  night  I  cannot  miss  a  post.  The  Lord  is 
doing  great  things  here.  On  Sunday  last  (October  24) 
the  Lord  enabled  me  to  preach  four  times,  and  to 
lecture  in  the  evening  in  a  private  home.  Yesterday 
I  preached  three  times,  and  lectured  at  night.  To-day 
Jesus  has  enabled  me  to  preach  seven  times  :  once  in 
the  church,  twice  at  the  Girls'  Hospital,  once  in  the 
Park,  once  at  the  Old  People's  Hospital,  and  afterwards 
twice  in  a  private  house.  Notwithstanding,  I  am  now 
as  fresh  as  when  I  arose  in  the  morning.  Both  in  the 
church  and  Park  the  Lord  was  with  us.     The  girls  in 


32      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

the  hospital  were  exceedingly  affected,  and  so  were  the 
standers-by.  One  of  the  mistresses  told  me  that  she 
is  now  awakened  in  the  morning  by  the  voice  of  prayer 
and  praise  :  and  the  master  of  the  boys  says  that  they 
meet  together  every  night  to  sing  and  pray,  and  that 
when  he  goes  to  their  rooms  to  see  if  all  be  safe  he 
generally  disturbs  them  at  their  devotions.  The  pres- 
ence of  God  at  the  Old  People's  Hospital  was  wonder- 
ful. The  Holy  Spirit  seemed  to  come  down  like  a 
mighty  rushing  wind.  Every  day  I  hear  of  some  fresh 
good  wrought  by  the  power  of  God.  I  scarce  know 
how  to  leave  Scotland.  I  believe  I  shall  think  it  my 
duty  to  pay  the  inhabitants  another  visit  as  soon  as 
possible.  Above  £500  have  been  collected,  in  money 
and  goods,  for  the  poor  orphans.  To-morrow  I  shall 
leave  this  place  and  go  through  Wales  on  my  way  to 
London. 

Such  is  an  account  of  George  Whitefield's  first 
visit  to  Scotland,  and  told  chiefly  from  his  own 
words.  It  is  interesting  to  recall  the  judgments  of 
those  who  observed  the  results  of  his  preaching. 
Writes  one  from  Edinburgh,  November  5,  1741  : — 

In  the  Tolbooth  Church  [where  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Webster  was  minister]  there  has  been  at  sacrament 
a  hundred  more  than  usual,  whereof  about  thirty 
young  ones  had  never  been  admitted  before,  and  of 
these,  eighteen  were  converted  by  your  ministry. 

An  Edinburgh  minister  wrote  : — 

Since  you  left  Scotland,  numbers  in  different  places 
have  been  awakened.  Religion  in  this  sinful  city 
revives  and  flourishes.  Ordinances  are  more  punctu- 
ally attended.     People  hear  the  Word  with  gladness, 


C 


ABERDEEN,   DUNDEE.  33 

and  receive  it  in  faith  and  love.  New  meetings  for 
prayer  and  spiritual  conference  are  being  begun  every- 
where. Religious  conversation  has  banished  slander 
and  calumny  from  several  tea-tables.  Praise  is  per- 
fected out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings.  Some 
stout-hearted  sinners  are  captivated  to  the  obedience 
of  Christ. 

The  Rev.  Mr  Ogilvie  wrote  regarding  Aberdeen 
that  Mr  Whitefield  had  revived  in  that  city 

a  just  sense  and  concern  for  the  great  things  of  re- 
ligion. I  often  think  that  the  Lord  sent  him  here 
to  teach  me  how  to  preach,  and  especially  how  to 
suffer.  His  attachment  to  no  party,  but  to  Christ, 
appears  to  me  a  peculiar  excellency  in  him.  While  he 
stayed  among  us  he  answered  our  expectations  so 
much  that  he  has  scarce  more  friends  anywhere  than 
here,  where  at  first  almost  all  were  against  him.  The 
Word  came  with  so  much  power  that  I  hope  several 
of  different  denominations  will  bless  the  Lord  for  ever 
that  they  ever  heard  him. 

The  Eev.  Mr  Willison  of  Dundee  wrote  : — 

I  look  upon  this  youth  as  raised  up  by  God  for 
special  service,  for  promoting  true  Christianity  in  the 
world,  and  for  reviving  it  where  it  is  decayed.  I  see 
the  man  to  be  all  of  a  piece  :  his  life  and  conversation 
to  be  a  transcript  of  his  sermons.  He  is  singularly 
fitted  to  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist ;  and  I  have  been 
long  of  opinion  thai,  it  would  be  for  the  advantage  of  the 
world  were  this  still  to  be  a  standing  office  in  the  Church. 
I  have  myself  been  witness  to  the  Holy  Ghost  falling 
upon  him  and  his  hearers  oftener  than  once  ;  not  in  a 
miraculous,  though  in  an  observable  manner.  Many 
here  are  blessing  God  for  sending  him  to  this  country, 
c 


34      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

though  Satan  has  raged  so  much  against  it.  Though 
he  is  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England, 
he  has  always  conformed  to  us  both  in  doctrine  and 
worship,  and  lies  open  to  conform  to  us  in  other 
points.  God,  by  owning  him  so  wonderfully,  is  pleased 
to  give  a  rebuke  to  our  intemperate  bigotry  and  party 
zeal,  and  to  tell  us  that  neither  circumcision  nor  un- 
circumcision  availeth  anything,  but  the  new  creature.1 

Such  testimonies  from  eyewitnesses  in  the  Church 
abundantly  prove  the  far-reaching  effects  of  White- 
field's  preaching  in  Scotland,  and  bring  him  before 
us  as  one  of  God's  best  gifts  to  the  Church.  Well 
has  Sir  James  Stephen  said  :  "  Whitefield  was  a 
great  and  a  holy  man ;  among  the  foremost  of  the 
heroes  of  philanthropy  ;  and  as  a  preacher  without 
a  superior  or  a  rival."  2 

Second  Visit,  1742. 

Whitefield  arrived  in  Scotland  on  June  3,  1742, 
and  his  second  visit  was  more  remarkable  than  his 
first.  As  his  life  and  work  cannot  be  fully  known 
apart  from  his  own  letters  and  those  of  his  corre- 
spondents, we  will  again  be  indebted  to  them  for  a 
narrative  of  the  facts.  He  came  to  find  a  general 
welcome  awaiting  him,  and  his  presence  was  the 
means  of  new  quickening. 

When  he  came  to  Edinburgh  the  question  arose, 

1  Tyerraan's  Life,  collected  from  contemporaneous  literature, 
vol.  i.  pp.  527-529. 

2  Essays  in  Ecclesiastical  Biography,  vol.  ii.  p.  88. 


HIS    EDINBURGH    PULPIT.  35 

Where  was  he  to  preach?  and  the  following  minute 
of  the  managers  of  Heriot's  Hospital,  passed  on 
June  17,  1742,  solved  the  question  : — 

The  managers  agree  to  erect  seats  in  the  Hospital 
Park  for  about  two  thousand  people,  part  of  which 
are  to  he  covered  with  shades  and  let  out  to  the  best 
advantage.  It  is  further  agreed,  that  out  of  the  profits 
arising  from  these  seats,  after  paying  all  charges  anent 
the  same,  a  sum  not  exceeding  £60  sterling  shall  be 
given  to  the  Rev.  Mr  George  Whitefield,  for  defraying 
his  charges  during  his  continuance  in  this  country.1 

The  seats  thus  erected  are  described  as  semicircular 
in  form :  those  with  shades  were  let  at  three 
shillings  each  for  the  season ;  those  without  shades 
at  a  halfpenny  for  every  time  used.  A  few  seats 
outside  the  railing  were  free,  and  the  back  seats 
within  were  to  be  used  by  the  soldiers  gratuitous- 
ly.2 Such  was  AVhitefield's  Scottish  metropolitan 
cathedral. 

He  spent  twelve  successive  days  at  Edinburgh, 
where  he  preached  twice  daily,  expounded  almost 
every  night,  and  visited  regularly  the  three  hos- 
pitals.3 It  is  interesting  to  have  the  following 
stated  by  his  wife,  which  testifies  not  only  to 
"vYhitefield's  catholicity,  but  to  the  catholicity  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland,  notwithstanding  all  that  is 
urged  against  it  during  this  period  :   "  My  husband 

1  Scots  Magazine,  1742,  p.  580. 

2  Tyernian's  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  4. 

3  Weekly  History,  June  26,  1742. 


36      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

publicly  declared  here  that  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  a  curate  thereof ;  and  yet 
was  permitted  to  receive  and  assist  at  the  Lord's 
Supper  in  the  churches  at  Edinburgh."  1 

On  15th  June  he  set  out  for  the  West  of  Scotland, 
and  his  visit  there  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
in  his  life  :  it  led  to  the  great  revival  of  1742. 

June  19,  1742. 

Yesterday  morning  I  preached  at  Glasgow  to  a  large 
congregation.  At  mid-day  I  came  to  Cambuslang,  and 
preached  at  two  to  a  vast  body  of  people  ;  again  at  six 
and  again  at  nine  at  night.  Such  commotions,  surely, 
were  never  heard  of,  especially  at  eleven  o'clock  at 
night.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  there  was  much  weep- 
ing, and  so  many  falling  into  such  deep  distress,  ex- 
pressed in  various  ways,  as  cannot  be  described.  The 
people  seemed  to  be  slain  in  scores.  Their  agonies 
and  cries  were  exceedingly  affecting.  Mr  M'Culloch 
preached,  after  I  had  done,  till  past  one  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  and  then  could  not  persuade  the  people  to  depart. 
In  the  fields  all  night  might  be  heard  the  voices  of 
prayer  and  of  praise.  The  Lord  is  indeed  much  with 
me.  I  have  to-day  preached  twice  already,  and  am  to 
preach  twice  more,  perhaps  thrice.  The  commotions 
increase. 

The  parish  minister  of  Cambuslang  had  been 
preparing  the  people  for  this  revival  by  his  own 
teaching,  and  the  following  statement  regarding  it 
is  given  in  the  Statistical  Account,  and  is  from  the 
pen  of  the  Eev.  Dr  Clason  : — 

1  See  letter  of  date  June  16,  1742. 


CAMBUSLANG.  37 

The  kirk  of  Cambuslang  being  too  small,  and  out  of 
repair,  the  minister,  in  favourable  weather,  frequently 
conducted  the  public  devotional  services  of  the  parish 
in  the  open  holds.  The  place  chosen  was  peculiarly 
well  adapted  for  the  purpose.  It  is  a  green  brae  on 
the  east  side  of  a  deep  ravine  near  the  church,  scooped 
out  by  nature  in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre.  At 
present  it  is  sprinkled  over  with  broom,  furze,  and  sloe- 
bushes,  and  two  aged  thorns  in  twin-embrace  are  seen 
growing  side  by  side  near  the  borders  of  the  meander- 
ing rivulet  which  murmurs  below.  In  this  retired  and 
romantic  spot  Mr  M'Culloch,  for  about  a  year  before 
"  the  work  "  began,  preached  to  crowded  congregations, 
and  on  the  Sabbath  evenings,  after  sermon,  detailed  to 
the  listening  multitudes  the  astonishing  effects  pro- 
duced by  the  ministrations  of  Mr  Whitefield  in  England 
and  America  ;  and  urged,  with  great  energy,  the  doctrine 
of  regeneration  and  newness  of  life.1 

He  had  met  Whitefield  during  his  Glasgow  visit 
in  1741  ;  and  in  the  following  year  Whitefield 
visited  Cambuslang  with  the  remarkable  results 
already  indicated.2 

Of  the  first  Communion,  celebrated  on  11th  July 
1742,  Whitefield  writes: — 

Xew  Kilpatrick,  July  15,  1742. 

Last  Friday  night  I  came  to  Cambuslang  to  assist  at 

the  blessed  sacrament.    On  Saturday  I  preached  to  above 

twenty  thousand  people.  On  the  Sabbath  scarce  ever  was 

such  a  sight  seen  in  Scotland.     Two  tents  were  set  up, 


1  Statistical  Account. 

2  See    full    account    in    Dr    Macfarlane's    Revivals   of    the 
Eighteenth   Centurv. 


38      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

and  the  holy  sacrament  was  administered  in  the  fields. 
When  I  began  to  serve  a  table  the  people  crowded  so 
upon  me  that  I  was  obliged  to  desist,  and  go  to  preach 
in  one  of  the  tents,  whilst  the  ministers  served  the  rest 
of  the  tables.  There  was  preaching  all  day  by  one  or 
another  ;  and,  in  the  evening,  when  the  sacrament  was 
over,  at  the  request  of  the  ministers,  I  preached  to  the 
whole  congregation  of  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  per- 
sons. I  preached  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  It  was  a 
time  much  to  be  remembered.  On  Monday  morning 
I  preached  again  to  near  as  many.  I  never  before  saw 
such  a  universal  stir.  The  motion  fled,  as  swift  as 
lightning,  from  one  end  of  the  auditory  to  the  other. 
Thousands  were  bathed  in  tears — some  wringing  their 
hands,  others  almost  swooning,  and  others  crying  out 
and  mourning  over  a  pierced  Saviour.  In  the  after- 
noon the  concern  was  again  very  great.  Much  prayer 
had  been  previously  put  up  to  the  Lord.  All  night,  in 
different  companies,  persons  were  praying  to  God  and 
praising  Him.  The  children  of  God  came  from  all 
quarters.  It  was  like  the  Passover  in  Josiah's  time. 
We  are  to  have  another  in  two  or  three  months,  if  the 
Lord  will.  ...  I  am  exceedingly  strengthened  both  in 
soul  and  body,  and  cannot  now  do  well  without  preach- 
ing three  times  a-day. 

It  had  been  suggested  and  agreed  to  that  the 
Communion  should  again  be  celebrated  on  the 
15th  of  August,  and  the  following  ministers  as- 
sisted on  the  second  occasion  :  Mr  Whitefield ;  Mr 
Webster  from  Edinburgh ;  Mr  M'Laurin  and  Mr 
Gillies  from  Glasgow ;  Mr  Eobe  from  Kilsyth ; 
Mr  Currie  from  Kinglassie ;  Mr  M 'Knight  from 
Irvine ;  Mr  Bonar  from  Torphichen  ;  Mr  Hamilton 


THE   GAMBUSLANG    COMMUNION.  39 

from  Douglas  ;  Mr  Henderson  from  Blantyre ;  Mr 

Maxwell   from   Kutherglen ;    and    Ml  Adam   from 
Cathcart1 

Whitefield  arrived  at  Canibuslang  on  August  13, 
1742.  and  spent  the  next  three  weeks  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. His  letter  to  a  friend  is  the  best  narra- 
tive of  the  period  : — 

Cambuslang,  August  27,  1742. 

A  fortnight  ago  I  came  to  this  place,  to  assist  at  the 
sacramental  occasion,  with  several  worthy  ministers  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland.  Such  a  Passover  has  not  been 
heard  of.  I  preached  once  on  the  Saturday.  On  the 
Lord's  day  I  preached  in  the  morning ;  served  five 
tables  ;  and  preached  again,  about  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
to  a  great  number  in  the  churchyard.  Though  it 
rained  very  much,  there  was  a  great  awakening.  The 
voice  of  prayer  and  praise  was  heard  all  night.  It  was 
supposed  that  between  thirty  and  forty  thousand  people 
were  assembled  ;  and  that  three  thousand  communi- 
cated. There  were  three  tents.  The  ministers  were 
enlarged,  and  great  grace  was  among  the  people. 

On  Monday,  August  16th,  at  seven  in  the  morning, 
the  Rev.  Mr  Webster  (of  Edinburgh)  preached,  and 
there  was  a  great  commotion  ;  and  also  in  the  third 
sermon  of  the  day  when  I  preached. 

On  Thursday,  August  19th,  I  preached  twice  at 
Greenock  :  on  Friday,  three  times  at  Kilbride  ;  on 
Saturday,  once  at  Kilbride  and  twice  at  Stevenston. 
Sunday,  August  22nd,  four  times  at  Irvine;  on 
Monday,  once  at  Irvine  and  three  times  at  Kilmar- 
nock  ;  on  Tuesday,  once  at  Kilmarnock  and  four  times 
b  Si        rl       ;  on  Wednesday,  once  at  Stewarton  and 


Dr  Macfarlane's  Revivals,  p.  72. 


40      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

twice  at  Mearnes  ;  and  yesterday,  twice  at  this  place. 
I  never  preached  with  so  much  apparent  success  before. 
The  work  seems  to  spread  more  and  more.  Oh,  my 
friend,  pray  and  give  praise  on  behalf  of  the  most 
unworthy  wretch  that  was  ever  employed  in  the  dear 
Kedeemer's  service  ! 

The  minister  of  Cambuslang  testified  "that  up- 
wards of  five  hundred  souls  have  been  awakened,"  1 
and  the  following  is  his  account  of  its  fruits  : — 

Among  the  particular  good  fruits  already  appearing, 
both  in  Cambuslang  and  elsewhere,  the  following  in- 
stances seem  very  encouraging  :  a  visible  reformation 
of  the  lives  of  persons  who  were  formerly  notorious 
sinners  ;  particularly  the  laying  aside  of  cursing  and 
swearing,  and  drinking  to  excess,  among  those  who 
were  addicted  to  that  practice  ;  remorse  for  acts  of 
injustice,  and  for  violation  of  relative  duties  confessed 
to  the  persons  wronged,  joined  with  new  endeavours 
after  a  conscientious  discharge  of  such  duties  ;  resti- 
tution, which  has  more  than  once  been  distinctly  and 
particularly  inculcated  in  public  since  this  work  began ; 
forgiving  of  injuries  ;  all  desirable  evidences  of  fervent 
love  to  one  another,  to  all  men,  and  even  to  those  who 
speak  evil  of  them  ;  and  among  those  people  both  in 
Cambuslang  and  other  parishes,  more  affectionate  ex- 
pressions of  regard  than  ever  to  their  own  ministers, 
and  to  the  ordinances  dispensed  by  them  ;  the  keeping 
up  divine  worship  in  families,  where  it  was  neglected 
very  often  by  some  and  entirely  by  others  ;  the  erect- 
ing of  new  societies  for  prayer,  I  oth  of  old  and  young, 
partly  within  the  parish,  where  no  less  than  twelve 
such  societies  are  newly  begun,  and  partly  elsewhere, 


1  Dr  Macfarlane's  Kevivals,  p.  64. 


SCOTTISH    REVIVAL-.  41 

among  persons  -who  have  been  awakened  on  this  occa- 
sion ;  and,  together  with  all  these  things,  ardent  love 
for  the  Holy  Scriptures,  vehement  thirsting  after  the 
public  ordinances,  earnest  desires  to  get  private  in- 
structions in  their  duty  from  ministers  and  others, 
with  commendable  docility,  and  tractableness  in  re- 
ceiving such  instructions.  ...  I  would  further  add 
that  these  good  impressions  have  been  made  on  per- 
sons of  very  different  characters  and  ages.1 

Of  the  similar  work  at  Kilsyth  the  minister 
notices  among  other  effects :  "  The  countenances 
of  others  quite  changed.  There  was  an  observable 
serenity,  a  brightness,  and  openness,  so  that  it  was 
the  observation  of  some  concerning  them,  that  they 
had  got  new  faces."  2 

Similar  revivals — some  on  a  more  and  others 
on  a  less  extensive  scale — took  place  in  Glasgow, 
Edinburgh,  Cumbernauld,  St  Ninians,  Gargun- 
nock,  Calder,  Campsie,  Baldernock,  Auchterarder, 
Muthill,  Dundee,  Crieff,  Monzievaird,  Xigg,  Eoss- 
keen,  Xairn,  Rosemarkie,  Irvine,  Coldingham, 
Easter  Logie,  Alness,  Cromarty,  Golspie,  Kirk- 
michael,  Avoch,  Rogart.3  The  revival  was  thus 
far  beyond  the  districts  that  Whitefield  visited, 
and  left  its  impress  on  the  religious  life  of  the 
country.  Enthusiasm  is  contagious,  and  the  re- 
ligious fervour  aroused  in  the  west  permeated  far 
and   wide.      The    Cameronians  denounced    the   re- 

1  Gillies'  Historical  Collections,  vol.  ii.  pp.  341,  342. 

-  Mr  Kobe's  Narrative,  p.  159. 

3  Gillies'  Historical  Collections,  vol.  ii.  pp.  339-378. 


42      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

vival  in  strong  terms;  the  Seceders  ascribed  it 
to  the  devil,  and  appointed  the  4th  of  August 
to  be  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  humiliation 
through  their  whole  body  for  the  countenance  given 
to  Whitefield,  "  a  priest  of  the  Church  of  England, 
who  had  sworn  the  Oath  of  Supremacy,  and  ab- 
jured the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant, "  and  for 
"the  symptoms  of  delusion  attending  the  present 
awful  work  upon  the  bodies  and  spirits  of  men 
going  on  at  Cambuslang."  1  Such  judgments  were 
too  severe,  and  failed  in  generosity,  for  after  every 
consideration  is  made  for  the  abnormal  forms  that 
frequently  accompany  great  religious  movements 
which  stir  the  hearts  of  the  people  to  their  very 
depths,  it  cannot  be  denied,  in  the  light  of  the 
evidence  afforded  by  the  clergy  themselves,  that  the 
movement  was  productive  of  wide  and  permanent 
results.  One  of  the  most  influential  and  prominent 
of  these — the  Eev.  Dr  Webster  of  the  High  Church, 
Edinburgh  —  defended  it  in  a  pamphlet  entitled 
'  Divine  Influence,  the  true  Spring  of  the  Extra- 
ordinary Work  at  Cambuslang,  and  other  places 
in  the  West  of  Scotland,  in  a  Letter  to  a  Gentle- 
man in  the  Country.'  Whitefield  himself  was  quite 
charitable  amid  the  attacks  on  his  work. 

The  Messrs  Erskine  and  their  adherents  have  ap- 
pointed a  public  fast  to  humble  themselves,  among 
other  things,  for  my  being  received  in  Scotland,  and 


1  Cunningham's  History  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  vol.  ii. 
p.  317. 


OPPOSITION.  43 

for  the  delusion,  as  they  term  it,  at  Cambuslang  and 

other  places  ;  and  all  this  because  I  would  not  consent 
to  preach  only  for  them,  till  I  had  light  into,  and  could 
take  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant.  To  what 
lengths  may  prejudice  carry  even  good  men  !  From 
giving  way  to  the  first  risings  of  bigotry  and  a  party 
spirit,  good  Lord  deliver  us  !  ...  0  how  prejudice  will 
blind  the  eyes  of  even  good  men  ! l 

During   his    second    visit,    Scotland    contributed 
£300  to  the  Orphan  House  at  Georgia. 


Third  Visit,  1748. 

AYhitefield  arrived  in  Scotland  on  September  14, 
1748,  and  after  a  preaching-visit  of  twelve  days  at 
Cambuslang  and  Glasgow,  seems  to  have  confined  all 
his  labours  to  Edinburgh.  There  was  some  opposi- 
tion :  he  said,  "  I  have  met  with  some  unexpected 
rubs,  but  not  one  more  than  was  necessary  to  humble 
my  proud  heart."  Evidently  on  account  of  the  strong 
opposition  raised  by  the  Associate  Presbytery,  many 
of  the  clergy  were  unwilling  to  countenance  him, 
probably  with  a  view  of  lessening  the  ecclesiastical 
bitterness  of  the  period.  The  Synod  of  Perth,  he 
"  made  an  Act  against  employing  him." 2 
AVhitefield  had  preached  in  the  College  Church  of 

1  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  ii.  pp.  22,  23. 

2  In  one  of  his  letters  relating  to  Perth  he  says,  "Some 
give  out  that  I  am  employed  by  the  Government  to  preach 
against  the  Pretender,  and  the  Seceders  are  very  angry  with 
me   for  not    preaching  up  the    Scottish   Covenant "   (Works, 


44      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN  SCOTLAND. 

Glasgow  for  Dr  Gillies  and  in  Kirkintilloch  for 
Dr  Erskine,  and  the  matter  was  discussed  along 
with  other  charges  in  the  Synods  of  Glasgow  and 
Perth  and  the  Presbytery  of  Edinburgh.1  An 
attempt  was  made  to  prohibit  or  discourage  him 
from  preaching  in  Scottish  parish  churches.  One 
of  the  ministers  who  spoke  against  the  motion 
said  : — 

I  blush  to  think  that  any  of  our  brethren  should  be- 
friend a  proposal  so  contrary  to  that  moderation  and 
catholic  spirit  which  now  is,  and  I  hope  ever  shall  be, 
the  glory  of  our  Church.  I  am  sensible  many  things 
in  the  Church  of  England  need  reformation ;  but  I 
honour  her,  notwithstanding,  as  our  sister- Church.  If 
Bishop  Butler,  Bishop  Sherlock,  or  Bishop  Seeker  were 
in  Scotland,  I  should  welcome  them  to  my  pulpit.  In 
this  I  should  imitate  Mr  Samuel  Rutherford,  as  firm 
a  Presbyterian  as  any  of  us,  who  yet  employed  Bishop 
Usher.  There  is  no  Law  of  Christ,  no  Act  of  Assem- 
bly, prohibiting  me  to  give  my  pulpit  to  an  Episcopal, 
Independent,  or  Anabaptist  minister,  if  of  sound  prin- 
ciples in  the  fundamentals  of  religion  and  of  sober  life. 
Our  Church  expressly  enjoins,  Act  XIII.,  April  1711, 
that  great  tenderness  is  to  be  used  to  foreign  Pro- 
testants.    The  requiring    strangers  to  subscribe   our 


vol.  ii.  p.  194).  It  is  difficult  to  explain  how  the  first 
assertion  could  be  made,  unless  from  some  vague  report  as 
to  Whitefield's  connection  by  friendship  with  one  of  the  early- 
Oxford  Methodists — the  Eev.  John  Clayton  —  who  when  the 
Prince  marched  through  Salford  in  1745  fell  upon  his  knees 
before  him  and  prayed  for  the  adventurous  Chevalier  (Tyer- 
man's  Oxford  Methodists,  p.  45). 
1  Memoirs  of  Whitefield  by  Dr  Gillies,  p.  156. 


REV.    DK   WEBSTER.  45 

Formula  before  they  preach  with  us  would  lay  as 
effectual  a  bar  against  employing  those  of  Congrega- 
tional principles,  or  Presbyterian  non-subscribers,  as 
those  of  the  Church  of  England.1 

The  motion  was  lost  by  27  to  13,  and  the  follow- 
ing amendment  was  carried  :  2 — 

That  no  minister  within  the  bounds  of  the  Synod 
should  employ  ministers  or  preachers  not  licensed  or 
ordained  in  Scotland,  till  he  had  sufficient  evidence  of 
their  licence  and  good  character,  and  should  be  in 
readiness  to  give  an  account  of  his  conduct  to  his  own 
Presbytery  when  required.3 

In  the  East  Country  on  a  similar  occasion,  the 
Eev.  Dr  "Webster  of  the  Tolbooth,  who  had  already 
defended  Wliitefield  by  pamphlet,  spoke  thus : — 

I  shall  conclude  by  observing  that  the  grave  opposi- 
tion made  to  this  divine  work  by  several  good  men 
through  misinformation  or  mistaken  zeal,  and  the 
slippery  precipice  on  which  they  now  stand,  may  teach 


1  Gillies'  Memoirs,  p.  176. 

2  Similar  resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Lothian 
and  Tweeddale,  the  Synod  of  Perth  and  Stirling,  and  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Edinburgh  (Tyerman,  vol.  ii.  p.  200).  The  Secession- 
ists met  in  Edinburgh  on  November  16,  renewed  the  Covenant, 
and  "solemnly  engaged  to  strengthen  one  another's  hands,  in 
the  use  of  lawful  means  to  extirpate  Popery,  Prelacy,  Arminian- 
ism,  Arianism,  Tritheism,  Sabellianism,  and  George  Whitefield- 
ism."  The  service  "was  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Adam  Gibb 
and  his  helpers  with  great  solemnity,  and  the  generality  of  the 
people  evidenced  an  uncommon  seriousness  and  concern." 
(Gentleman's  Magazine,  1748,  p.  523  ;  General  Advertiser,  Nov- 
ember 24,  1748.) 

3  Life  of  John  Erskine,  D.D.,  p.  134. 


46      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

us  that  it  is  indeed  a  dangerous  thing  to  censure 
without  inquiry.  It  may  serve  likewise  as  a  solemn 
warning  against  a  party  spirit  which  so  far  blinds  the 
eyes.  It  also  gives  a  nobler  opportunity  for  the 
exercise  of  our  Christian  sympathy  towards  these  our 
erring  brethren,  .  .  .  and  should  make  us  long  for  a 
removal  to  the  land  of  visions  above,  .  .  .  where  are 
no  wranglings,  no  strivings  about  matters  of  faith,  and 
where,  the  whole  scheme  of  present  government  being 
removed,  we  shall  no  more  see  as  through  a  glass,  but 
face  to  face,  where  perfect  light  will  lay  a  foundation 
for  perfect  harmony  and  love.  It  is  with  peculiar 
pleasure  that  I  often  think  how  my  good  friend 
Ebenezer  [Erskine]  shall  then  enter  into  the  everlast- 
ing mansions  with  many  glorified  saints,  whom  the 
Associate  Presbytery  have  now  given  over  as  the  work 
of  Satan.  May  they  soon  see  their  mistake,  and  may 
we  yet  altogether  be  happily  united  in  the  bonds  of 
peace  and  truth.1 

Dean  Stanley  remarks  that  "these  are  golden 
words  which  no  mere  enthusiast  could  have  con- 
ceived or  penned ; "  and  adds :  "  This  is  moderation, 
if  ever  there  was  such  on  earth.  This  was  in  the 
very  depth  of  the  eighteenth  century,  at  the  very 
moment  when  the  Moderate  party  were  beginning 
to  establish  their  sway/' 2  It  is  pleasant  too,  amid  a 
time  of  much  ecclesiastical  strife,  to  find  words  such 
as  those  uttered  by  the  Eev.  Dr  Webster  and  by  the 
other  clergyman  (probably  Dr  Gillies)  in  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Glasgow :  they  have  a  sweetness  and  a 

i  Gledstone's  Whitefield,  p.  477. 

2  The  Church  of  Scotland,  pp.  137,  138. 


MEETING    WITH    RALPH    EESKINJL  47 

light  in  them  tliat  were  not   by  any  means  charac- 
teristic of  the  period. 

Whitefield,  notwithstanding  the  opposition, 
preached  three  times  in  the  Tolbooth  Church,  and 
twice  in  the  Canongate  Church,  Edinburgh,  as  well 
as  about  thirty  times  in  the  Orphan  Hospital  Park. 
He  did  not  make  any  collections  for  his  Orphan 
Home,  evidently  with  the  purpose  of  giving  no 
ground  of  offence.  He  returned  to  his  work  in 
England    at  the  beginning  of  November. 


Fourth  Visit,   1750. 

Whitefield  reached  Edinburgh  on  July  6,  1750,  and 
preached  in  the  Orphan  Hospital  Park.  "People 
flock  rather  more  than  ever,  and  earnestly  entreat 
me  not  to  leave  them  soon."  After  preaching- 
twenty  times  in  Edinburgh,  he  set  out  for  Glasgow, 
and  the  following  is  his  account  of  the  visit : — 

Friends  here  received  me  most  kindly,  and  the 
congregations,  I  think,  are  larger  than  ever.  Yester- 
day [Sunday],  besides  preaching  twice  in  the  field,  I 
preached  in  the  College  Kirk,  being  forced  by  Mr 
Gillies.  It  was  a  blessed  season.  I  have  met  and 
shaken  hands  with  Mr  Ralph  Erskine.  Oh,  when 
.shall  God's  people  learn  war  no  more? 

The   following  is  his  impression  of  the  Scottish 


one  can  well  describe  the  order,  attention,  and 
earnestness  of  the  Scotch    congregations.     They  arc 


48      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

unwearied  in  hearing  the  Gospel.  I  left  thousands 
sorrowful  at  Glasgow  ;  and  here  I  was  again  most 
gladly  received  last  night.  By  preaching  always  twice, 
and  once  thrice,  and  once  four  times  in  a  day,  I  am 
quite  weakened  ;  but  I  hope  to  recruit  again,  and  get 
fresh  strength  to  work  for  Jesus. 

On  August  4,  he  writes  from  Berwick  : — 

I  have  taken  a  very  sorrowful  leave  of  Scotland.  .  .  . 
I  shall  have  reason  to  bless  God  to  all  eternity  for  this 
last  visit  to  Scotland.  .  .  .  Many  enemies  were  glad 
to  be  at  peace  with  me.  .  .  .  One  of  the  ministers 
here  has  sent  me  an  offer  of  his  pulpit,  and  I  hear  of 
about  ten  more  around  the  town  who  would  do  the 
same. 


Fifth  Visit,  1751. 

He  reached  Glasgow  on  July  18,  and  preached 
there  and  at  Edinburgh  each  day  until  August  6. 
The  following  letters  to  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon 
describe  his  work  : — 

Glasgow   July  12,  1751. 

Ever  honoured  Madam, —  ...  At  the  desire  of 
the  magistrates  [of  Irvine]  I  preached  to  a  great  con- 
gregation. Since  then  I  have  been  preaching  twice 
a-day  in  this  city.  Thousands  attend  every  morning 
and  evening.  Though  I  preached  near  eighty  times 
in  Ireland,  and  God  was  pleased  to  bless  His  Word, 
yet  Scotland  seems  to  be  a  new  world  to  me.  To 
see  the  people  bring  so  many  Bibles,  and  turn  to 
every  passage  when  I  am  expounding,  is  very  en- 
couraging. 


INFLUENCE   OVER   DIVINITY   STUDENTS.       49 

To  the  same  : — 

Edinburgh,  July  30,  1751. 

The  parting  at  Glasgow  was  very  sorrowful.  Numbers 
set  out  from  the  country,  to  hear  the  Word,  by  three 
or  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Congregations  here 
increase  greatly.  I  now  preach  twice  daily  to  many 
thousands.  .  .  .  Mr  AVesley  has  been  there  [Mussel- 
burgh], and  intends  setting  up  Societies,  which  I  think 
imprudent.1  .  .  .  For  near  twenty  -  eight  days,  in 
Glasgow  and  Edinburgh,  I  preached  to  near  ten  thou- 
sand souls  every  day.  Ninety-four  pounds  were  col- 
lected for  the  Edinburgh  orphans,  and  I  heard  of  seven 
or  eight  students,  awakened  about  ten  years  ago,  who 
are  likely  to  turn  out  excellent  preachers. 

Sixth  Visit,  1752. 

After  a  visit  to  America,  he  arrived  at  Edin- 
burgh early  in  September,  and  for  twenty -eight 
days  preached  to  audiences  there  and  at  Glasgow 
of  "not  less  than  ten  thousand  each  day."  His 
ministry  during  this  and  subsequent  visits  had  a 
powerful  influence  over  the  Divinity  students.  Dr 
Gillies  of  Glasgow  wrote  : — 

Hifl  preaching  had  an  excellent  tendency  to  destroy 
a   try,    and   to   turn   men's   attention   from    smaller 
matters   to   the   great  and   substantial   things   of  re- 
ligion.   .    .    .    Young  people  were  much  benefited  by 
rinisby,  and  particularly  young  students.    .    .    . 
His  conversation  was  do  less  reviving  than  his  ser- 


1  Referring  to  Wesley's  first  Scottish  visit  (April  1751). 
D 


50      WESLEY  AND  WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

mons.  .  .  .  One  might  challenge  the  sons  of  pleasure, 
with  all  their  wit,  good  humour,  and  gaiety,  to  furnish 
entertainments  so  agreeable.  At  the  same  time,  every 
part  of  it  was  not  more  agreeable  than  it  was  useful 
and  edifying. 


Seventh  Visit,  1753. 

Whitefield  returned  to  Scotland  on  July  20,  1753, 
and  remained  until  August  7,  preaching  to  as  great 
crowds  as  ever  at  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow.  The 
'  Scots  Magazine '  narrates  : — 

Mr  George  Whitefield  arrived  at  Edinburgh,  July 
20th  ;  went  thence  to  Glasgow  on  the  27th  ;  returned 
to  Edinburgh,  August  3rd  ;  and  set  out  for  London 
on  the  7th.  He  preached  daily,  morning  and  evening, 
when  at  Edinburgh,  in  the  Orphan  Hospital  Park ; 
and,  when  at  Glasgow,  in  the  Castle  Yard,  to  numer- 
ous audiences.  In  his  sermons  at  Glasgow  he  declaimed 
warmly  against  a  playhouse  lately  erected  within  the 
enclosure  in  which  he  preached.  The  consequence  was 
that,  before  his  departure,  workmen  were  employed  to 
take  it  down,  to  prevent  it  being  done  by  ruder  hands.1 

This  brought  him  much  misrepresentation,  and  he 
defended  himself  in  the  following  letter,  printed  in 
the  '  Newcastle  Journal ' : — 

Newcastle,  August  17,  1753. 
Gentlemen, — By  your  last  Saturday's  paper  I  find 
that  some  Edinburgh  correspondent  has  informed  you 


i  P.  361. 


DEFENCE.  51 

that  when  I  was  preaching  at  Glasgow  on  the  2nd 
inst.,  to  a  numerous  audience,  near  the  playhouse 
lately  built,  I  inflamed  the  mob  so  much  against  it 
that  they  ran  directly  from  before  me  and  pulled  it 
down  to  the  ground  ;  and  that  several  of  the  rioters, 
since  then,  have  been  taken  up  and  committed  to  jail. 
But,  I  assure  you,  this  is  mere  slander  and  misin- 
formation. It  is  true,  indeed,  that  I  was  preaching 
at  Glasgow,  to  a  numerous  auditory,  at  the  beginning 
of  this  month  ;  and  that  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  show 
the  evil  of  having  a  playhouse  erected  in  a  trading  city 
— almost,  too,  before  the  very  door  of  the  university. 
And  this,  by  the  help  of  God,  if  called  to  it,  I  should 
do  again.  But  that  I  inflamed  the  mob,  or  that  they 
ran  directly  from  me,  or  pulled  the  playhouse  down, 
or  that  the  rioters  were  taken  up  and  put  into  prison, 
is  entirely  false. 

I  suppose  all  this  took  its  rise  from  the  builder 
taking  down  the  roof  of  the  house  himself.  You  must 
know  that  the  walls  of  this  playhouse  were  part  of 
the  old  palace  of  the  Bishop  of  Glasgow,  and  only  had 
a  board  covering  put  upon  them  during  the  time  of 
the  players  being  there.  They  being  gone,  the  owner 
(whether  convinced  by  anything  that  was  said,  I  can- 
not tell)  began  to  take  off  the  roof  several  days  before 
I  left  the  place  ;  so  that,  if  there  had  been  any  riot, 
doubtless  I  should  have  seen  it. 

No,  gentlemen,  your  correspondent  may  assure  him- 
self that  I  am  too  much  a  friend  to  my  God,  my  king, 
and  my  country,  to  encourage  any  such  thing.  I  know 
of  no  such  means  of  reformation,  either  in  Church  or 
State.  The  weapons  of  a  Christian's  warfare  are  not 
carnal.  And  therefore,  if  you  please  to  inform  the 
public  and  your  Edinburgh  correspondent  of  the  mis- 


52      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD  IN   SCOTLAND. 

take  in  to-morrow's  paper,  you  will  oblige,  gentlemen 
your  very  humble  servant, 

George  Whitefield. 


Eighth  Visit,  1756. 

Arriving  on  August  20,  lie  resumed  his  work  at 
Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  and  continued  it  for  three 
weeks.  He  always  united  philanthropy  with  his 
preaching,  and  the  Orphan  Hospital  at  Edinburgh 
benefited  during  this  visit  by  i^lSO.1 

The  managers  of  the  Orphan  Hospital  made  him  a 
present  of  fifty  guineas  to  defray  his  travelling  expenses  ; 
but  he  returned  ten  guineas,  saying  that  forty  guineas 
were  sufficient  to  defray  the  charges,  and  likewise  to 
pay  upwards  of  £14,  which  he  had  laid  out  here  for 
coarse  linen  to  be  sent  to  his  Orphan  House  in 
Georgia.2 

The  Magazine  continues,  that  scarcity  at  home  had 
induced  a  greater  number  of  Highlanders  than  usual 
to  come  to  Edinburgh  for  harvest-work.  The  harvest 
not  being  ready,  they  were  almost  destitute. 

Contributions  were  set  on  foot  to  give  them  two 
meals  a-day  at  the  poorhouse  ;  and  on  the  evening 
of  September  21,  after  a  sermon  suitable  to  the  occa- 
sion by  Mr  Whitefield,  a  collection  was  made  for  them 
in  the  Orphan  Hospital  Park,  which  amounted  to  £60, 
lis.  4d.  sterling,  of  which  half  a  guinea  was  given  by 
Mr  Whitefield  himself.3 


Scots  Magazine.  2  Ibid.  3  Ibid. 


GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  53 

His  preaching  gave  an  unquestionable  impulse 
to  philanthropic  work  in  Scotland,  and  everything 
speaks  of  the  unselfishness  of  the  great  preacher.1 

Ninth  Visit,  1757. 

Arriving  at  Edinburgh  on  May  11,  he  continued 
there  for  about  a  month,  preaching  regularly  at  the 
Orphan  Hospital  Park.  Being  in  Edinburgh  during 
the  sittings  of  the  General  Assembly,  he  was  warmly 
received  by  the  Church  of  Scotland.  The  Com- 
missioner, Lord  Cathcart,  and  the  Moderator,  the 
Eev.  Professor  Leechman,  D.D.,  of  Glasgow  Uni- 
versity, were  kindly  disposed  to  him,  and  gave  him 
a  welcome.  He  preached  morning  and  evening,  and 
attended  every  one  of  the  sittings  of  Assembly  j 
was  invited  to  dine  with  the  Commissioner,  and 
said  grace  after  dinner.     His  own  account  is : — 

Being  the  time  of  the  General  Assembly  (at  which 
I  was  much  pleased),  many  ministers  attended,  per- 
haps a  hundred  at  a  time.  Thereby  prejudices  were 
removed,  and  many  of  their  hearts  were  deeply  im- 
■d.  About  thirty  of  them,  as  a  token  of  respect, 
invited  me  to  a  public  entertainment.  The  Lord  High 
Commissioner  also  invited  me  to  his  table  ;  and  many 
persons  of  credit  and  religion  did  the  same  in  a  public 
manner.  Thousands  and  thousands,  among  whom  were 
a  great  many  of  the  best  rank,  daily  attended  on  the 
"Word  preached  ;  and  the  longer  I  stayed,  the  more  the 
congregations  and  divine  influence  increased. 


1   See  Gledstone's  Whitefield,  p.  517. 


54      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Whitefield  was  thus  brought  into  closer  alliance 
with  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  his  influence  was 
evidently  upon  the  increase  both  among  its  people 
and  its  ministry.  Thomas  Eankine,  who  afterwards 
became  one  of  Wesley's  preachers,  was  influenced 
by  Whitefield's  preaching  during  this  visit. 


Tenth  Visit,  17*58. 

From  August  4  to  September  13  he  preached 
frequently  at  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh  :  at  the  former 
place  £60  was  collected  after  his  sermon  on  behalf 
of  a  charitable  society,  and  at  Edinburgh  £200  for 
the  Edinburgh  Orphan  Hospital.1  Surely  such  is 
sufficient  testimony  as  to  the  affection  with  which 
the  Scottish  people  venerated  him. 


Eleventh  Visit,   1759. 

He  arrived  at  Edinburgh  on  June  30,  1759,  and 
spent  seven  weeks  in  Scotland,  chiefly  in  Edin- 
burgh and  Glasgow.  He  set  out  for  London  on 
August  14.  During  his  visit  to  Glasgow  he 
preached  ten  times  on  two  Sundays  alone.  White- 
field  exhibited  his  single -mindedness  in  a  very 
marked  way  during  this  visit.  He  refused,  either 
for  himself  personally  or  for  his  Orphan  House,  the 
estate,  both  money  and  lands,  valued  at  £7000,  of 


1  Scots  Magazine. 


k 


WI1ITEFIELI'    UK  FUSES   AN    ESTATE.  55 

a  Miss  Hunter,  who  offered  them  to  him.1  Much 
of  the  opposition  in  the  Church  arose  in  unfounded 
reports  regarding  the  Georgia  Orphan  House.  They 
were  absolutely  unfounded.  Sir  Henry  MoncreifF 
Wellwood  wrote : — 

They  [the  people]  gave  him  credit  for  the  purity  of 
his  motives,  amidst  all  the  calumnies  which  were  spread 
against  him.  And  it  can  now  be  affirmed,  without 
reserve,  that  whatever  opinion  may  be  held  with  regard 
to  his  conceptions  of  Christian  doctrine,  or  the  form 
in  which  he  attempted  the  work  of  an  evangelist,  he 
lived  to  contradict  every  surmise  to  the  prejudice  of 
his  intentions,  and  went  down  to  the  grave  at  last  with 
a  character  of  unblemished  and  established  integrity.2 


Twelfth  Visit,   1762. 

At  the  beginning  of  November  1761  Whitefield 
arrived  in  Edinburgh,  but  the  incessant  strain  of 
preaching  and  travelling  had  already  shown  evidence 
in  his  physical  force.  When  it  is  recalled  that  his 
work  knew  no  pause  during  these  many  years,  and 
that  through  them  all  he  sustained  efforts  that  were 
herculean  in  their  extent,  it  is  marvellous  that  he 
could  endure  so  long.  But  what  was  impossible  to 
a  life  inspired  with  a  vivid  and  tenacious  faith,  and 
throbbing  with  an  enthusiasm  of  humanity  that 
knew   no    ebbing?      When  we    consider   his    own 

1  Gledstone's  Whitefield,  p.  474. 

2  Life  of  John  Erskine,  D.D.,  pp,  102,  103, 


56      WESLEY  AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

testimony,  "  I  would  fain  die  preaching,"  1  and  his 
own  choice,  "  A  pilgrim  life  to  me  is  the  sweetest 
on  this  side  eternity,"  2  we  are  in  the  presence  of 
one  who  had  no  thoughts  beyond  his  work,  and 
who  loved  it  with  a  passionate  devotion.  White- 
field  was  only  prevented  in  1761  entering  upon 
his  usual  Scottish  preaching  campaign  by  the  order 
of  "four  eminent  physicians"  in  Edinburgh,  who 
recommended  rest.  "Silence  is  enjoined  me  for 
a  while  by  the  Edinburgh  physicians.  They  say 
my  case  is  then  recoverable.  The  Great  Physician 
will  direct." 

After  a  short  rest,  he  resumed  his  work  in  Eng- 
land, visited  Holland,  and  attended  Wesley's  Con- 
ference in  Leeds,  whence  he  proceeded  to  Scotland. 

Edinburgh,  September  2,  1762. — I  am  just  this  mo- 
ment returned  from  Glasgow,  where  I  have  been 
enabled  to  preach  every  day,  and  twice  at  Cambuslang. 
Auditories  were  large. 

Edinburgh,  September  9. — I  came  here  a  week  ago. 
Since  then  I  have  been  helped  to  preach  every  day. 
The  kirk  has  been  a  Bethel.  ...  On  Monday,  the 
13th  inst.,  I  shall  set  off. 


Thirteenth  Visit,   1763. 

He  arrived  in  Scotland  about  the  middle  of 
March,  intending  to  embark  about  the  middle  of 
April  on  his  sixth  visit  to  America.     Illness  de- 

i  Works,  vol.  iii.  p.  311.  2  Letter,  March  17,  1769. 


MEETING   WITH   JOHN  WESLEY.  57 

tained  him,  and  he  did  not  sail  till  June  4.  During 
this  visit  he  met  John  Wesley,  who  was  in  Scot- 
land also,  and  in  Wesley's  Journal  we  find  the 
following :  ''I  came  to  Edinburgh  on  Saturday 
21st.  The  next  day  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
spending  a  little  time  with  Mr  Whitefield.  Humanly 
speaking,  he  is  worn  out  j  but  we  have  to  do  with 
Him  who  hath  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth."  1 
"Whitefield  desired  "  to  get  upon  his  throne  again," 
and  during  the  eleven  weeks'  stay  in  Edinburgh 
he  was  able  to  preach  occasionally  notwithstanding 
his  illness. 


Fourteenth  Visit,  1768. 

His  last  visit  was  in  June  1768.  His  popularity 
was  greater  than  ever.  He  met  in  Edinburgh 
''friends  of  twenty-seven  years'  standing."  "  I  am 
here  [in  Edinburgh]  only  in  danger  of  being  hugged 
to  death."  Preaching  from  "his  throne"  to  the 
waiting  thousands,  he  was  as  a  king  among  men, 
and  all  classes  hung  upon  his  lips.  "  Could  I 
preach  ten  times  a-day,  thousands  and  thousands 
would  attend." 

"  When  we  are  taught,"  said  Dean  Stanley,  "  to 
think  of  the  Edinburgh  of  that  age  as  cold  and 
dead,  let  us  remember  that  it  was  of  it  that  White- 
field,  when  he  left  it,   exclaimed,  ■  0   Edinburgh, 


1  See  Journal,  p.  244. 


58      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Edinburgh,  surely  thou  wilt  never  be  forgotten  by 
me.' "  1  and  that  same  Edinburgh  never  forgot  him. 
When,  years  afterwards,  he  came  to  the  Scottish 
capital  again,  he  was  in  danger  of  being  hugged  to 
death  by  the  enthusiastic  reception  of  its  citizens, 
and  he  sat,  it  is  said,  amongst  them  "  like  a  king  of 
men  on  his  throne."  2 

Whitefield  continued  his  labours  in  England 
and  America,  and  he  carried  across  the  ocean  the 
memory  of  the  warm  Scottish  gratitude.  He  left 
Scotland  an  exhausted  man.  "  Lord  Jesus,  I 
am  weary  in  Thy  work,  but  not  of  it."  He  died 
at  Newbury  Port,  America,  September  30,  1770, 
after  a  noble  service  of  thirty-four  years  as  an 
evangelist. 

It  is  to  the  glory  of  the  Scottish  capital  that  when 
Eoote,  the  actor,  brought  his  play  upon  the  stage 
at  Edinburgh,  two  months  after  Whitefield's  death, 
and  imitated  the  preacher's  appearance  and  manner 
of  speaking,  the  theatre  was  emptied  after  the  first 
night.  Public  opinion  condemned  the  heartless 
caricaturing  of  one  who  had  always  entered  the 
country  as  a  bearer  of  good  tidings  and  a  messenger 
of  peace ;  the  Edinburgh  pulpits  also  thundered 
out  Tebukes.3  Edinburgh  assuredly  did  not  forget 
Whitefield  and  his  great  work. 

1  This  is  the  correct  version ;  see  Philip's  Life  and  Times  of 
Whitefield,  p.  401. 

2  Stanley's  Church  of  Scotland,  p.  138. 

3  Gledstone's  Whitefield,  pp.  476,  477. 


WIIITEFIELP'S   PERSONALITY.  59 

England  gave  Whitefield  birth,  and  he  named 
himself  "  a  moderate  Catholic  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England,"  1  but  Scotland  gave  him  a 
hearty  welcome,  afforded  him  a  wide  field  of  in- 
fluence ;  and  Dr  Gillies,  a  minister  of  the  Church 
-  >tland,  wrote  his  biography,  which  appeared 
in  177  2.  The  story  of  his  work  is  best  told  by  his 
own  letters,  which  are  as  sincere,  single-minded,  and 
transparent  as  the  man's  own  nature  ;  their  language 
is  the  appropriate  expression  of  a  soul  enthusiastic 
in  a  great  work  and  aglow  with  a  great  mission. 
That  they  are  not  overstrained  is  abundantly  testi- 
fied by  eyewitnesses  whose  testimony  is  beyond 
question,  and  who  were  acquainted  with  the  per- 
manent results  of  Whitefield's  ministry.  Dr  Gillies 
thus  describes  him  : — 

Mr  Whitefield's  person  was  graceful  and  well  propor- 
tioned. His  stature  was  rather  above  the  middle  size. 
His  complexion  was  very  fair.  His  eyes  were  of  a 
dark-blue  colour,  and  small  but  sprightly.  He  had  a 
squint  with  one  of  them,  occasioned  either  by  the 
ignorance  or  carelessness  of  the  nurse  who  attended 
him  in  the  measles  when  he  was  about  four  years  old. 
His  features  were  in  general  good  and  regular.  His 
c<  >untenance  was  manly,  and  his  voice  exceeding  strong  ; 
»th  were  .softened  with  an  uncommon  degree  of 
sweetness.  He  was  always  very  clean  and  neat,  and 
often  said  pleasantly  that  "a  minister  of  the  Gospel 
ought  to  be  without  spot."    His  deportment  was  decent 


Gledstone's  Whitefield,  p.  496. 


60      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

and  easy,  without  the  least  stiffness  or  formality  ;  and 
his  engaging  polite  manners  made  his  company  uni- 
versally agreeable.  ...  He  was  remarkable  for  his 
moderation  both  in  eating  and  drinking.  .  .  .  Early  in 
the  morning  he  rose  to  his  Master's  work,  and  all  the 
day  long  was  employed  in  a  continual  succession  of 
different  duties.  When  he  was  visited  with  any  dis- 
tress or  affection,  preaching,  as  he  himself  tells  us,  was 
his  catholicon,  and  prayer  his  antidote  against  every 
trial.  .  .  .  His  eloquence  was  great,  and  of  the  true  and 
noblest  kind.  He  was  utterly  devoid  of  all  appearance 
of  affectation.  He  seemed  to  be  quite  unconscious  of 
the  talents  he  possessed.  The  importance  of  his 
subject,  and  the  regard  due  to  his  hearers,  engrossed 
all  his  concern.  He  spoke  like  one  who  did  not  seek 
their  applause,  but  was  anxious  for  their  best  interests. 
.  .  .  He  had  a  strong  and  musical  voice,  and  a  wonder- 
ful command  of  it.  His  pronunciation  was  not  only 
proper,  but  manly  and  graceful.  He  was  never  at  a 
loss  for  the  most  natural  and  strong  expressions.  The 
grand  sources  of  his  eloquence  were  an  exceeding  lively 
imagination  and  an  action  still  more  lively.  Every 
accent  of  his  voice  spoke  to  the  ear  ;  every  feature  of 
his  face,  and  every  motion  of  his  hands,  spoke  to  the 
eye.  .  .  .  One  thing  remains  to  be  mentioned  of  an 
infinitely  higher  order — namely,  the  power  of  God, 
which  so  remarkably  accompanied  his  labours.  It  is 
here  that  Mr  Whitefield  is  most  to  be  envied.  When 
we  consider  the  multitudes  that  were  brought  under 
lasting  religious  impressions,  and  the  multitudes  that 
were  wrought  upon  in  the  same  manner  by  the  ministry 
of  others,  excited  by  his  example,  we  are  led  into  the 
same  sentiment  with  Mr  Wesley  in  his  funeral  sermon, 
"  What  an  honour  hath  it  pleased  God  to  put  upon  His 
faithful  servant ! " 


INFLUENCE.  61 

The  account  of  Mrs  Jonathan  Edwards,  in  one 
of  her  letters,  gives  additional  features  to  the 
portrait  : — 

He  is  truly  a  remarkable  man,  and  during  his  visit 
has,  1  think,  verified  all  that  we  have  heard  of  him.  He 
makes  lees  of  the  doctrines  than  our  American  preachers 
generally  do,  and  aims  more  at  affecting  the  heart.  He 
is  a  born  orator.  You  have  already  heard  of  his  deep- 
toned,  yet  clear  and  melodious  voice.  It  is  perfect 
music.  It  is  wonderful  to  see  what  a  spell  he  casts 
over  an  audience  by  proclaiming  the  simplest  truths 
of  the  Bible.  ...  He  impresses  the  ignorant,  and 
not  less  the  educated  and  refined.  .  .  .  He  is  a  very 
devout  and  godly  man,  and  his  only  aim  seems  to 
be  to  reach  and  influence  men  the  best  way.  He 
speaks  from  a  heart  all  aglow  with  love,  and  pours  out 
a  torrent  of  eloquence  which  is  almost  irresistible. 

Whitefield  made  fourteen  visits  to  Scotland,  and 
although  after  1741  and  1742  there  were  no  such 
remarkable  events  as  accompanied  his  preaching  at 
Cambuslang,  his  later  visits  were  described  as  re- 
freshing and  stimulating.  Their  predominant  in- 
fluence was  in  breaking  down  party  zeal  and  sec- 
tarian bigotry ;  in  emphasising  the  divine  element 
which  transcended  all  separating  barriers.  It  was 
an  incalculable  blessing  to  the  religious  life  of 
Scotland  to  see  and  hear  one  who  rose  above  all 
party  shibboleths,  and  who  would  preach  anywhere 
if  he  only  felt  a  new  opportunity  presenting  itself 
of  doing  good.  It  is  pleasant,  too,  to  recall  that 
pulpits   in  the   Church  of  Scotland  were    open  to 


62      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

him,  when  those  in  England  were  closed  against 
him,  and  he  was  branded  with  the  then  opprobrious 
name  "  enthusiast."  1  The  real  source  of  the  differ- 
ences that  arose  in  1748  was  want  of  definite  know- 
ledge as  to  the  real  objects  of  his  work,  and 
opposition  against  him  directing  to  the  Georgia 
Hospital,  Scottish  beneficence,  which  many  thought 
at  the  time  could  be  as  needfully  spent  on  the 
charities  at  home.  Whitefield  met  the  opposition 
by  fulfilling  its  claim,  and  his  preaching  both 
stimulated  the  religious  life  of  the  country  and 
was  the  means  of  raising  great  sums  for  Scottish 
humanitarian  work,  while  the  victory  of  his  blame- 
less, unselfish  character  swept  away  ungrounded 
suspicions. 2 

From  his  open  pulpit  in  the  Orphan  Hospital 
Park  at  Edinburgh  and  at  the  High  Churchyard 
at  Glasgow — where  he  chiefly  preached  during  his 
later    visits  —  Whitefield's    preaching    reached    all 

1  In  the  eighteenth  century  "  enthusiast  "  was  a  kind  of  by- 
word applied  in  opprobrium  and  derision.  "  Its  precise  mean- 
ing differed  exceedingly  with  the  mind  of  the  speaker,  and  with 
the  opinions  to  which  it  was  applied.  It  sometimes  denoted  the 
wildest  and  most  credulous  fanaticism  or  the  most  visionary 
mysticism  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  irreligious,  the  lukewarm, 
and  the  formalist  often  levelled  the  reproach  of  enthusiasm, 
equally  with  that  of  bigotry,  at  what  ought  to  be  regarded 
as  sound  spirituality,  or  true  Christian  zeal,  or  the  anxious 
efforts  of  thoughtful  arid  religious  men  to  find  a  surer  stand- 
ing against  the  reasonings  of  infidels  and  Deists." — The  English 
Church  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  by  Abbey  and  Overton, 
p.  227. 

2  Life  of  Dr  John  Erskine,  p.  132. 


CATHOLICITY.  63 

classes  of  the  people1  —  not  least  in  importance, 
the  students  at  both  universities.  He  inspired 
those  who  inspired  others,  and  his  influence  thereby 
reached  a  wide  area.  At  a  period  when  opinion 
was  a  predominating  element  in  the  Church,  he 
emphasised  the  truth  that  faith  is  not  acquiescence 
in  opinions  held  to  be  true,  but  direct  contact  with 
and  realisation  of  spiritual  realities  ;  when  a  domin- 
ant temper  in  the  Church  was  the  metaphysical  and 
theological  one,  he  directed  attention  to  the  repose 
of  religion — as  a  divine  life  within  the  soul,  as  a 
direct  experience.  He  raised  men's  thoughts  above 
the  din  of  the  theological  battlefield  to  that  serener 
air  where  the  divine  and  the  human  are  reconciled. 
His  message  was  much  needed,  but  not  less  so  was 
his  example.  He  was  an  ordained  priest  of  the 
Church  of  England,  who  preached  in  Scottish  parish 
churches,  joined  in  Scottish  Communion  services, 
and  even  assisted  at  one  in  the  High  Church  of 
Edinburgh.  Such  catholicity  was  supremely  needed, 
and  the  continuation  of  it  is  the  succession  of  the 
true  apostolic  spirit.      It  recalled  the   early  years 

1  Says  Dr  Gillies:  "His  friends  in  Scotland,  among  whom 
were  many  of  all  ranks  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  were 
very  constant  and  steady  in  their  great  regard  for  him,  and  his 
opposers  grew  more  and  more  mild.  But,  indeed,  Mr  White- 
field's  whole  behaviour  was  so  open  to  the  eyes  of  the  world, 
and  his  character,  after  it  had  stood  many  attacks  from  all 
quarters,  came  at  last  to  be  so  thoroughly  established,  that 
several  of  his  opposers  in  Scotland  seemed  rather  to  acquire  a 
certain  degree  of  esteem  for  him  ;  at  least  they  all  thought 
proper  to  give  over  speaking  against  him." 


64      WESLEY  AND  WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

of  the  Eeformation,  when  the  utmost  harmony 
and  goodwill  prevailed  among  all  the  Eeformed 
Churches ;  when  there  was  but  one  Eeformed 
Church,  and  the  ministers  of  one  Eeformed  nation 
were  freely  admitted  into  the  pulpits  of  another ; 
when  Knox,  for  example,  could  minister  either  in 
England,  Scotland,  or  Geneva,  and  his  Church  was 
wherever  Protestantism  was.1 

Whitefleld's  preaching  settled  doubt  by  its  trans- 
parent earnestness  and  conviction.  The  preacher  was 
single-minded,  and  his  message  had  the  authority 
which  strong  conviction  always  gives.  "All  re- 
ligion," says  Mr  Leslie  Stephen,  "historically 
speaking,  has  depended  and  must  depend  for  the 
masses  of  mankind  upon  authority.  A  creed  built 
on  elaborate  syllogisms  is  a  creed  with  '  perhaps '  in 
it,  and  no  such  creed  can  command  men's  emo- 
tions." 2  Whitefield's  preaching  had  no  "  perhaps  " 
in  it,  and  its  authority  rested  on  the  preacher's 
message  finding  its  vindication  in  the  hearers'  ex- 
perience. It  was  not  so  much  his  grasp  of  the 
truth,  as  the  grasp  of  the  truth  upon  him,  that 
made  him  what  he  was.  It  was  the  being  pos- 
sessed by  the  truth  that  enabled  him  to  inspire 
others  and  made  him  a  prophet.  And  this,  added 
to  a  life  single-minded  in  its  purpose,  devotional 
in  its  spirit,3  amiable  and  generous,  made  him  a 

1  Cunningham's  Church  History  of  Scotland,  vol.  i.  p.  412. 

2  History  of  English  Thought  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  vol. 
i.  p.  175. 

3  Philip's  Life  and  Times  of  Whitefield,  p.  565. 


HIS   PREACHING.  65 

prophet.  He  lived  in  the  light  of  eternity,  and 
passed  from  communion  with  God  to  his  daily 
duty  ;  his  preaching  awakened  and  inspired,  for  the 
cardinal  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  were 
ever  in  his  heart  and  on  his  tongue.1  It  was  the 
power  of  the  Christian  message  rediscovered,  and 
preached  with  an  apostolic  fervour :  while  the 
events  at  Cambuslang  were  unique,2  and  did  not 
characterise  his  later  visits,  it  was  acknowledged  on 
all  hands  that  "Whitefield's  preaching  promoted  the 
interests  of  practical  religion  in  the  period.3  It 
appealed  to  all  classes,  and  even  David  Hume  ex- 
pressed his  admiration  of  it.  The  letters  already 
quoted  are  sufficient  testimony  to  its  power  :  it 
created  light  and  diffused  life  :  the  marvel  is  that 
with  his  work  in  England,  Ireland,  and  America — 
in  the  midst  of  which  his  Scottish  were  as  holiday 
visits — "Whitefield  was  enabled  to  maintain  it  so 
long.  He  was  endowed  as  a  great  evangelist  and 
philanthropist,  and  was  an  outstanding  gift  to  the 
eighteenth  century.  The  opposition  he  had  to  en- 
counter in  England  was  no  less  unique  than  his 
own  eminence,  but  Scotland  gave  him  a  hearty 
welcome :    its  people   were  with  him,   and   of   the 

1  See  Sir  James  Stephen's  Essays  in  Ecclesiastical  Biography, 
vol.  ii.  p.  98. 

-  Afl  has  already  been  stated,  Dr  Webster  and  Dr  John 
Erskine  both  defended  Whitefield's  work  at  Cambuslang,  and 
even  those  who  opposed  it  admitted  that  the  converts  amounted 
to  several  hundreds  (see  Life  of  Dr  John  Erskine,  p.  119). 

3  EnkJne'fl  Life,  p.  127. 


V 


66      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Churches  of  New  England  and  Scotland  he  wrote, 
"  There  are  as  many  faithful  ministers  among  them 
as  in  any  parts  of  the  known  world."  1  Whitefield 
organised  no  religious  societies  ;  such  was  the  work 
of  John  Wesley,  of  whom  it  was  said  by  Lord 
Macaulay  "  that  he  had  a  genius  for  ecclesiastical 
government  not  inferior  to  Richelieu."2 

1  Preface  to  a  Communion  Morning's  Companion  by  George 
Whitefield. 

2  Works,  vol.  v.  p.  333. 


67 


THE  REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


John  Wesley  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Wesley,  and  was  born  on  June  17,  1703,  at  Epworth, 
Lincolnshire,  where  his  father  was  rector  from  1696 
to  1735.  At  six  years  of  age  he  nearly  lost  his  life 
through  the  burning  of  the  rectory,  and  the  memory 
of  the  event  was  always  potent  in  his  imagination, 
and  impressed  itself  upon  him  very  vividly.  He 
described  himself  as  "a  brand  plucked  out  of  the 
burning."  He  received,  like  the  other  members  of 
the  family,  a  remarkable  religious  education  from  his 
parents,  and  at  eight  years  of  age  became  a  communi- 
cant. He  entered  the  Charterhouse  School  in  1713, 
and  was  a  pupil  there  for  seven  years.  He  became 
a  commoner  at  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  on  July  13, 
1720,  and  brought  with  him  from  the  Charterhouse 
a  school  exhibition  of  £40  a-year.  In  1725  the 
ihought  of  taking  Orders  occurred  to  him,  and 
during  this  early  period  he  was  much  influenced 
by  the  :  De  Imitatione '  and  ScougaFs  '  Life  of  God 


68      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN   SCOTLAND. 

in  the  Soul  of  Man ' x — a  book  recommended  to  him 
by  his  mother.  This  book,  as  has  already  been 
noted,  had  a  profound  influence  upon  Whitefield  : 
it  was  well  known  to  Charles  Wesley ;  it  also  had 
an  influence  over  John  Wesley  that  has  not  been 
sufficiently  noticed.  His  mother  recommended  the 
'  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man  'as  "an  excellent 
good  book,"  and  "as  an  acquaintance  of  mine  many 
years  ago,"  2  and  John  Wesley  studied  it  very  care- 
fully during  the  Christ  Church  days.  Along  with 
the  '  De  Imitatione '  it  had  no  little  influence  at  this 
critical  period  of  his  life  in  moulding  that  inward 
spiritual  view  of  religion  which  afterwards  was 
strengthened  by  his  study  of  Jeremy  Taylor,  Law, 
and  Luther's  Preface  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans. 
Matthew  Arnold  has  said  of  Wesley  that  he  had 
"  a  genius  for  godliness," 3  and  at  this  period  it 
became  pronounced.  "I  began,"  he  writes,  "to 
alter  the  whole  form  of  my  conversation  and  to  set 
in  earnest  about  a  new  life.  I  set  apart  an  hour  or 
two  a-day  for  religious  retirement ;  I  communicated 
every  week ;  I  watched  against  all  sin  whether  in 
word  or  deed."  He  was  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop 
Potter  in  1725.     He  was  elected  Fellow  of  Lincoln 

1  Wesley  afterwards  published  an  abridged  edition  of 
Scougal's  work,  a  third  edition  of  which  was  issued  in  1773. 
He  also  published  Scougal's  sermons  in  his  Christian  Library — 
see  volume  xxiii.  pp.  325-456. 

2  Dr  Clarke's  Wesley  Family,  vol.  ii.  p.  103  ;  also  Life  of 
Susanna  Wesley,  by  Eliza  Clarke,  p.  174. 

3  St  Paul  and  Protestantism,  p.  16. 


AT   OXFORD.  G9 

College  on  March  17,  172G,  and  his  connection  with 
it  lasted  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.1  In 
all  his  books  he  designates  himself  as  "  sometime 
Fellow  of  Lincoln  College."  He  mapped  out  his 
time  methodically.  Monday  and  Tuesday  were 
devoted  to  Latin  and  Greek ;  Wednesday  to  Logic 
and  Ethics ;  Thursday  to  Hebrew  and  Arabic ; 
Friday  to  Metaphysics  and  Xatural  Philosophy ; 
Saturday  to  Oratory  and  Poetry ;  Sunday  to  Divin- 
ity. In  October  1726  he  was  appointed  Greek 
Lecturer  and  Moderator  of  the  Classes ;  the  former 
office,  with  a  salary  of  .£20  a-year,  gave  him  the 
duty  of  holding  a  lecture  every  week,  which  all 
the  undergraduates  were  to  attend,  on  the  Greek 
Testament,  with  the  direct  object  of  teaching 
Divinity :  the  latter  implied  presiding  over  the 
Disputations,  which  were  held  in  the  College  every 
day  except  Sunday.2  "I  could  not  avoid,"  says 
Wesley,  "  acquiring  thereby  some  degree  of  expert- 
ness  in  arguing,  and  especially  in  discovering  and 
pointing  out  well -covered  and  plausible  fallacies. 
I  have  since  found  abundant  reason  to  praise 
God  for  giving  me  this  honest  art."  From  1727 
to  1729  he  was  curate  to  his  father,  who  needed 
his  help,  but  returned  to  Oxford  in  1728  to 
be  ordained  priest."  Mr  Overton  thinks  "  it 
is  clear  that  this,  the  sole  experience  he  ever 
had    in    England    of    work    as    a    parish    priest, 

1  Overton's  John  Wesley,  p.  15.  -  [bid.,  pp.  15,  10. 

'Ibid.,  p.  22. 


70      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

did    not   at    all    commend    to   him   the    parochial 
system." 

Dr  Morley  asked  him  to  return  to  Oxford  for 
pupils  in  1729,  which  he  did,  and  the  epoch- 
making  period  of  his  work  dates  from  his  return. 
He  resumed  his  work  as  lecturer  and  moderator, 
but  he  found  established  a  little  society,  or  "  holy- 
club  "  as  it  was  named,  which  had  a  profound  influ- 
ence in  directing  his  career  and  shaping  his  life-work. 
During  his  brother's  absence  at  Epworth,  Charles 
Wesley,  who  had  been  a  Westminster  student  at 
Christ  Church  for  three  years,  had  become  im- 
pressed with  the  sense  of  vital  religion,  and  had 
resolved  to  devote  himself  to  a  religious  life.  He 
gathered  around  himself  a  small  company  of  like- 
minded  students,  for  intellectual  and  spiritual  im- 
provement. On  week-days  they  read  the  classics, 
but  chiefly  the  Greek  Testament;  on  Sundays 
Divinity ;  they  were  regular  in  their  attendance 
on  Holy  Communion.  When  John  Wesley  arrived 
he  found  the  club  started,  and  soon  was  at  the  head 
of  it.  Mr  Morgan  was  the  first  to  visit  the  prisoners 
in  the  jail. 

In  the  summer  of  1730  [writes  Wesley]  Mr  Morgan 
told  me  he  had  called  at  the  gaol  to  see  a  man  who 
was  condemned  for  killing  his  wife  ;  and  that,  from 
the  talk  he  had  with  one  of  the  debtors,  he  verily 
believed  it  would  do  much  good  if  any  would  be  at 
the  pains  of  now  and  then  speaking  with  them.  This 
he  so  frequently  repeated,  that  on  the  24th  of  August 


VISITS    PRISONERS.  71 

1730  my  brother  and  I  walked  to  the  Castle.  We 
ao  well  satisfied  with  our  conversation  there  that 
we  agreed  to  go  thither  once  or  twice  a- week ;  which 
we  had  not  done  long  before  he  desired  me  to  go  with 
him  to  sec  a  poor  woman  in  the  town  who  was  sick. 
In  this  employment  too,  when  we  came  to  reflect  upon 
it.  we  believed  it  would  be  worth  while  to  spend  an 
hour  or  two  in  the  week,  provided  the  minister  of  the 
pariah,  in  which  any  such  person  was,  was  not  against 
it.  But  that  we  might  not  depend  wholly  upon  our 
own  judgments,  I  wrote  an  accoimt  to  my  father  of  the 
whole  design  :  withal  begging  that  he,  who  had  lived 
seventy  years  in  the  world,  and  seen  as  much  of  it  as 
most  private  men  have  ever  done,  would  advise  us 
whether  we  had  yet  gone  too  far,  and  whether  we 
should  now  stand  still  or  go  forward. 

The  father  replied  favourably  : — 

Go  on,  then,  in  God's  name,  in  the  path  to  which 
your  Saviour  has  directed  you,  and  that  track  wherein 
your  father  has  gone  before  you.  For  when  I  was  an 
undergraduate  at  Oxford,  I  visited  those  in  the  Castle 
there,  and  reflect  on  it  with  great  satisfaction  to  this 
day. 

He  counselled  "walking  prudently,  but  not  fear- 
fully," and  gaining  the  approbation  of  the  proper 
authorities,  and  signed  himself  "your  most  affec- 
tionate and  joyful  father." 

John  Wesley  rejoiced  in  the  approval  of  his 
father — indeed  the  veneration  of  the  whole  AVesley 
family  for  their  parents,  their  immediate  submission 
to  parental  advice,  their  constant  trust  in  counsel 
during  difficulties,  are  most  striking  and  beautiful 


72      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN   SCOTLAND. 

features.  His  father's  benediction  gave  new  spirit 
to  the  little  society,  and  the  members  —  John 
Wesley,  Charles  Wesley,  Morgan  of  Christ  Church, 
Kirkham  of  Merton  College  —  went  on  "in 
spite  of  the  ridicule  which  increased  fast  upon 
them  during  the  winter."  They  were  joined  in 
1730  by  John  Gambold  of  Christ  Church,  and  in 
1732  by  John  Clayton  of  Brasenose,  Benjamin 
Ingham  of  Queen's,  Thomas  Broughton  of  Exeter, 
and  Westley  Hall  of  Lincoln;  in  1733  by  James 
Hervey  of  Lincoln,  John  Kinchin,  Fellow  of 
Corpus ;  John  Whitelamb  of  Lincoln,  Eichard 
Hutchins  of  Lincoln,  and  George  Whitefield,  ser- 
vitor of  Pembroke,  also  joined.1  They  were  strict 
churchmen  and  kept  all  the  fasts  of  the  Church; 
they  communicated  every  Sunday  and  every  fes- 
tival; they  lived  sparingly,  and  gave,  what  they 
denied  themselves,  to  the  poor ;  they  visited 
the  poor  and  sick,  the  prisoners  in  the  Castle, 
and  the  poor  debtors  in  Bocardo;2  they 
educated  poor  children  themselves  and  paid 
for  the  education  of  others.  They  were  called 
or  nicknamed  Methodists ;  and,  says  John 
Wesley — 

As  the  name  was  new  and  quaint,  it  clave  to  them 
immediately ;  and  from  that  time  both  these  four 
young  gentlemen,  and  all  that  had  any  religious  con- 


1  Overton's  Life,  p.  27. 

2  Wesley's  Works,  vol.  i.  p.  42. 


THE   TERM   "METHODIST."  73 

Election  with  them,  were  distinguished  by  the  name  of 
Methodists. 

He  adds  : — 

The  regularity  of  their  behaviour  gave  occasion  to  a 
young  gentleman  of  the  college  to  say,  "  I  think  we 
have  got  a  new  set  of  Methodists  " — alluding  to  a  set 
of  physicians  who  began  to  flourish  at  Rome  about  the 
time  of  Nero,  and  continued  for  several  ages. 

Charles  Wesley  said  that  it  had  reference  to  the 
strict  conformity  of  the  method  of  study  and  of 
practice  at  which  he  and  his  religious  friends 
aimed.2  This  is  also  given  by  John  Wesley  in 
another  place  as  an  alternative  explanation,3  while 
in  his  dictionary  he  defined  the  word  "  Methodist " 
as  "one  who  lives  according  to  the  method  laid 
down  in  the  Holy  Scriptures."  The  'De  Imita- 
tione,'  the  'Holy  Living  and  Dying'  of  Jeremy 
Taylor,  the  '  Serious  Call '  by  Law,  the  '  Life  of 
God  in  the  Soul  of  Man,'  were  the  favourite  man- 
uals of  devotion,  and  John  Wesley  published  a 
book  of  prayers  for  the  use  of  the  brotherhood.4 
He  began  rising  at  four  every  morning — a  practice 
which  he  continued  until  extreme  old  age  ; 5  avoided 
unprofitable   friends,  whose  harmless  conversation, 

1  Works,  vol.  vii.  p.  402. 

-  Jackson's  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  vol.  i.  p.  19. 
3  Works,  vol.  viii.  p.  339. 

*  A  Short  History  of  the  Methodists,  by  W.  H.  Daniels, 
p.  21. 

5  Lecky's  England  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  vol.  ii.  p.  551. 


74      WESLEY   AND   WHTTEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

he  felt,  even  damped  his  good  resolutions : 1  he 
studied  such  works  as  were  persuasive  rather 
than  instructive,  that  warmed,  kindled,  and  en- 
larged the  affections  as  well  as  awakened  the 
divine  sense  in  the  soul.  The  personal  magnetism 
of  John  Wesley  was  the  inspiration  of  the  little 
society,  which  existed  for  ends  as  spiritual  as  any- 
thing on  this  side  of  time  can  he.  Its  spirit  was 
intense  earnestness  and  asceticism,  and  no  one  of 
its  members  was  conscious  of  the  deep  religious 
influence  it  was  afterwards  to  wield  in  the  religious 
life  of  the  country.  They  were  only  conscious  of 
the  sincerity  of  their  aims,  and  notwithstanding 
the  obloquy  encountered,  pressed  towards  the  real- 
isation of  them.  John  Wesley  almost  invariably 
dates  the  commencement  of  Methodism  from  1729,2 
and  its  origin  was  in  the  meetings  founded  by 
Charles  Wesley,  sustained  afterwards  and  perfected 
by  John  Wesley.  The  spirit  of  it  afterwards  took 
diverse  expressions  :  each  member  developed  it  in 
the  way  and  after  the  manner  that  the  appoint- 
ments of  life  directed  him,3  and  we  have  hence- 
forth to  deal  chiefly  with  John  Wesley.  Two 
aspects  of  his  mind  may  be  noted  at  this  period, 
and  they  are  most  important  in  relation  to  his 
spiritual  development. 

1.  His  desire  to  model  all  his  doctrine  and  practice 
after  the  manner  of  the  Primitive  Church ;  to  get 

1  Works,  vol.  vi.  p.  447.  2  Overton's  Life,  p.  24. 

3  See  excellent  account  in  Mr  Tyerman's  '  Oxford  Methodists.' 


KAKI.Y   CHX7BCB    STUDIES.  75 

beyond  the  growth  of  centuries,  to  the  simpler,  purer 
days  of  the  Early  Church. 

It  is  a  far  cry  [says  Mr  Overton]  from   Ritualism 

(so  called)  to  Methodism  (so  called)  ;  but  it  is  not 
fancy,  but  plain  historical  fact,  that  Wesley  derived 
his  ideas  about  the  Mixed  Chalice,  Prayers  for  the 
Faithful  Departed,  and  the  observance  of  the  Stations, 
from  precisely  the  same  source  from  whence  he  derived 
his  ideas  about  the  Class-Meeting,  the  Love-Feast,  the 
Watch-night,  and  the  tickets  of  membership ;  and  they 
date  from  this  period.3 

He  was  anxiously  studying  the  history  of  the  Early 
Church,  and  seeking  there  for  doctrine  and  practice, 
which  being  in  an  age  nearer  the  days  of  Galilee, 
commended  themselves  to  his  intensely  spiritual 
nature.  His  endeavour  was  to  get  beyond  later 
growth  and  the  new  forms  which  institutions  and 
doctrines  had  assumed  to  their  origins  in  a  time 
tilled  with  the  buoyancy  and  freshness  of  a  young 
life. 

2.  Oxford  stamped  itself  upon  Wesley's  charac- 
ter, and  its  atmosphere  is  felt  in  his  judgments  on 
men,  books,  and  places  throughout  his  journals.  It 
refined  his  instincts,  which  were  naturally  fine,  and 
permeated  his  mind  with  the  university  spirit.  It 
became  an  inalienable  part  of  him,  and  gave  a 
rounding  to  his  lovely  Christian  character.  In 
all  his  books  he  designates  himself,  "Sometime 
Fellow  of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford  "  ;  and  he  carried 

1  Overton's  Life,  }>.  30. 


76      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

about  with  him  the  dignity  of  one  who  had  received 
an  education  at  a  great  college. 

All  the  members  of  the  Oxford  brotherhood  did 
noble  work  in  their  varied  spheres,  but  even  at  this 
early  time  John  Wesley  impressed  himself  as  a  leader 
of  men  (ava£av$pwv),  and  the  devotion  all  had  for 
him  was  a  beautiful  triumph  of  his  beautiful  per- 
sonality. Wesley  had  no  desire  to  be  a  parochial 
clergyman,  but  the  wishes  of  his  family  prevailed, 
and  he  consented  to  accept  Epworth  if  it  were  given 
him.  His  father  died  in  1735,  but  the  Crown  pre- 
sented the  parish  to  another.  Thus  he  was  led  to 
another  sphere  of  work,  and  became  a  missionary. 

The  missionary  spirit  [says  Mr  Tyerman]  was  a 
passion  in  the  Wesley  family  when  Christian  missions 
to  the  heathen  scarce  existed.  John  Wesley,  after 
being  ejected  from  his  church-living  in  1622,  longed 
to  go  as  a  missionary,  first  to  Surinam  and  afterwards 
to  Maryland.  Samuel  Wesley,  his  son,  when  a  young 
man  of  between  thirty  and  forty  years  of  age,  formed 
a  magnificent  scheme  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  India, 
China,  and  Abyssinia  ;  and,  in  the  last  years  of  his 
life,  most  feelingly  laments  that  he  was  not  young- 
enough  to  go  to  Georgia.  His  sons,  John  and  Charles, 
now  at  Oxford,  caught  his  spirit,  and,  within  twelve 
months  after  the  date  of  the  last  letter,  actually  went. 
John  Whitelamb,  his  son-in-law,  wished  to  go  ;  but,  for 
some  unknown  reason,  was  kept  at  home.1 

John  Wesley  was  sent  out  to  Georgia  as  a  mission- 
ary by  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel ; 

1  Life  and  Times  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Wesley,  M.A.,  pp. 
431,  432. 


VOYAGE   TO   GEORGIA.  77 

his  brother,  Charles,  went  as  the  secretary  to  the 
Governor;  two  other  young  men  also  went,  Ben- 
jamin Ingham,  the  Oxford  Methodist,  and  Charles 
Delamotte,  "who  had  a  mind  to  leave  the  world 
and  give  himself  up  entirely  to  God."  This  was 
in  1735.  The  following  is  Wesley's  own  narrative 
of  the  voyage  : — 

Our  common  way  of  living  was  this  :  From  four  in 
the  morning  till  five  each  of  ns  used  private  prayer. 
From  live  to  seven  we  read  the  Bible  together,  care- 
fully comparing  it  (that  we  might  not  lean  to  our  own 
understanding)  with  the  writings  of  the  earliest  ages. 
At  seven  we  breakfasted.  At  eight  were  the  public 
prayers.  From  nine  to  twelve  I  usually  learned  Ger- 
man, and  Mr  Delamotte  Greek.  My  brother  usually 
writ  sermons,  and  Mr  Ingham  instructed  the  children. 
At  twelve  we  met  to  give  an  account  to  one  an- 
other what  we  had  done  since  our  last  meeting,  and 
what  we  designed  to  do  before  our  next.  About  one 
we  dined.  The  time  from  dinner  to  four  we  spent 
in  reading  to  those  whom  each  of  us  had  taken  in 
charge,  or  in  speaking  to  them  severally,  as  need 
required.  At  four  were  the  evening  prayers  ;  when 
cither  the  second  lesson  was  explained  (as  it  always 
was  in  the  morning)  or  the  children  were  catechised 
and  instructed  before  the  congregation.  From  five  to 
six  we  again  used  private  prayer.  From  six  to  seven 
I  read  in  our  cabin  to  two  or  three  of  the  passengers 
(of*  whom  there  were  about  eighty  English  on  board), 
and  each  of  my  brethren  to  a  few  more  in  theirs.  At 
seven  ]  joined  with  the  Germans  in  their  public  service, 
while  Mr  Ingham  was  reading  between  the  decks  to  as 
many  as  desired  to  hear.  At  eight  we  met  again,  to 
exhort  and  instruct  one  another.     Between  nine  and 


78      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

ten  we  went  to  bed,  where  neither  the  roaring  of  the 
sea  nor  the  motion  of  the  ship  could  take  away  the 
refreshing  sleep  which  God  gave  us.1 

Such  was  the  life  of  the  young  missionaries  on 
board  ship ;  and  the  Moravians,  who  were  among  the 
passengers,  impressed  Wesley  with  the  simplicity  and 
sincerity  of  their  faith,  and  opened  his  mind  to  fur- 
ther influence  at  a  later  stage  in  his  career.  "They 
are,"  wrote  Mr  Ingham,  "  more  like  the  Primitive 
Christians  than  any  other  Church  now  in  the  world. 
...  In  everything  they  behave  themselves  with 
great  meekness,  sweetness,  and  humility."  It  was 
to  converse  with  these  Moravians  that  John  Wesley 
began  on  board  to  learn  German,  and  they  made  an 
impression  on  him  by  their  thoughtfulness  for 
others  and  their  courageous  faith  which  he  never 
forgot,  and  both  of  which  convinced  him  of  the 
reality  of  their  religion. 

The  vessel  reached  its  destination  on  February 
5,  1736,  and  while  Savannah  was  John  Wesley's 
special  sphere,  he  was  also  appointed  superin- 
tendent to  the  whole  colony  of  Georgia.  Charles 
had  a  charge  at  Frederika.  They  preached  and 
taught  and  lived  on  the  same  high  level  as  at 
Oxford,  but  John  Wesley's  pronounced  High 
Churchism  made  him  unintelligible  to  the  colon- 
ists. It  brought  him  into  difficulties,  and  besides, 
he  was  somewhat  disappointed  in  his  visit :  he  had 
gone  as  a  missionary,  but  on  account  of  the  wars 

1  Journal,  under  date  October  21,  1735. 


DISAPPOINTED   WITH   GEORGIA.  79 

of  the  Indian  tribes  among  themselves,  and  the 
aversion  which  the  Spanish  and  French  had  pro- 
duced among  them  towards  Christianity,  he  had 
been  compelled  to  accept  what  he  had  shrunk  from 
at  home,  even  under  the  pressure  of  family  influ- 
ences—  the  office  of  a  parish  priest  among  the 
settlers.1  His  work  was  not  a  failure,2  for  "White- 
field  testifies  that  the  good  done  was  inexpressible ; 
still  Wesley  was  disappointed  in  it,  for  it  was  not 
what  he  anticipated.  His  brother  Charles  and  Mr 
Ingham  had  already  left  Georgia,  and  John  AVesley 
with  Mi  Delamotte  took  ship  from  Charlestown 
on  December  22,  1737,  and  reached  England  on 
February  1,  1738.  Still  his  visit  to  Georgia  was 
important  to  his  spiritual  development,  in  so  far 
as  it  brought  him  into  contact  with  Moravian  in- 
fluence :  he  was  impressed  with  their  primitive 
Christianity,  and  became  unsettled  in  his  spiritual 
condition :  "I  went  to  America  to  convert  the 
Indians ;  but,  oh  !  who  shall  convert  me  1  I  have 
a  fair  summer  religion.  I  can  talk  well,  but  let 
death  look  me  in  the  face,  and  my  spirit  is  troubled. 
Alienated  as  I  am  from  the  life  of  God,  I  am  a 
child  of  wrath,  and  heir  of  hell."  ::    We  cannot  take 

1  Overtoil's  Life,  p.  54. 

-  While  his  knowledge  of  French  enabled  him  to  preach  to 
the  French  settlers,  and  Ins  Italian  gave  him  opportunity  of 
hing  to  the  Vaudois,  he  learned  the  Spanish  language  that 
he  might  converse  with  his  Jewish  parishioners.  A  parish 
clergyman    in    a  parish    could   surely    not    be   more 

faithful. 

1  Tyerman'a  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  166. 


80      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

these  words  literally ;  for  if  John  Wesley  was  not 
a  Christian  at  this  stage,  who  can  lay  claim  to  the 
name?  It  is  the  language  of  intense  spiritual 
earnestness  in  the  presence  of  the  invisible  realities  : 
it  is  the  characteristic  of  a  fine  spiritual  nature, 
that  is  always  severest  upon  itself,  while  it  is 
charitable  unto  others.  And  he  afterwards  modified 
his  view.  In  reference  to  the  statement  that  he 
was  not  himself  converted  when  he  went  to  convert 
the  Indians,  he  added,  "  I  am  not  sure  of  this."  To 
the  words  "I  am  a  child  of  wrath,"  he  added,  " I 
believe  not ;  I  had  even  then  the  faith  of  a  servant, 
though  not  that  of  a  son."  In  a  developing  spiritual 
nature  there  are  moments  when  inward  feeling  is 
not  the  "most  infallible  of  proofs,"  and  Wesley 
himself  deprecates  the  too  literal  interpretation  of 
what  was  written  "in  the  anguish  of  my  heart  to 
which  I  gave  vent  between  God  and  my  own  soul." 
John  Wesley  was  now  ripe  for  the  influence 
which  was  to  prove  final  in  spiritual  decision.  "  I 
want,"  he  says,  "that  faith  which  none  can  have 
without  knowing  it."  His  conversion  now  came 
— at  any  rate  in  its  final  shape.  He  had  come  into 
contact  with  Peter  Bohler,  and  was  enjoined  :  "Mi 
frater,  mi  frater !  excoguenda  est  ista  tua  philo- 
sophia  "  1 — "  My  brother,  my  brother,  that  philo- 
sophy of  yours  must  be  purged  away."  "Preach 
faith  till  you  have  it ;  and  then  because  you  have 
it,  you  will  preach  faith."  March  23,  1738  :  "  I  met 
1  Diary,  under  date  March  18,  1738. 


ALDERSGATE   STREET   SOCIETY.  81 

Peter  Bohler  again,  who  now  amazed  me  more  and 
more  by  the  account  he  gave  of  the  fruits  of  living 
faith — the  holiness  and  happiness  which  he  affirmed 
to  attach  to  it."  Wesley,  along  with  his  brother, 
saw  Bohler  frequently  from  February  7,  1738, 
till  May  4,  1738,  when  Bohler  sailed  for  Carolina, 
and  his  edifying  conversation  led  them  into  two 
truths  —  that  faith  in  Christ  is  inseparably  at- 
tended (1)  by  dominion  over  sin,  and  (2)  by  con- 
stant peace  arising  from  a  sense  of  forgiveness.  As 
Luther's  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  had  an  influence 
over  Bunyan,  so  his  Preface  to  the  Romans  had  an 
influence  over  Wesley. 

May  $4,  1738. — In  the  evening  I  went  very  unwill- 
ingly to  a  society  in  AHeragate  Street,  where  one  was 
reading  Luther's  preface  to  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans. 
About  a  quarter  before  nine,  while  he  was  describing 
the  change  which  God  works  in  the  heart  through 
faith  in  Christ,  I  felt  my  heart  strangely  warmed.  I 
felt  I  did  trust  in  Christ,  Christ  alone,  for  salvation  ; 
and  an  assurance  was  given  me  that  He  had  taken 
away  my  sins,  even  mine,  and  saved  me  from  the  law 
of  sin  and  death.1 

He  was  not  finally  settled  until  several  months 
had  elapsed,2  and  henceforth  no  shadow  of  doubt 

1  Journal.  "  It  is,  however,  scarcely  an  exaggeration  to  say- 
that  the  scene  which  took  place  at  that  humble  meeting  in 
Aldersgate  Street  forms  an  epoch  in  English  history.  The 
conviction  which  then  flashed  upon  one  of  the  most  powerful 
and  mo>t  active  intellects  in  England  is  the  true  source  of 
English  Methodism."  Lecky's  History  in  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  vol.  ii.  p.  558. 


Overton's  Life,  p.  61. 


9 


82      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

ever  crossed  his  horizon,  nor  did  any  wavering  ever 
shake  the  faith  which  he  had  known  in  his  own 
experience  as  the  truth  of  God. 

"  I  determined,  if  God  should  permit,  to  retire  for 
a  short  time  into  Germany."  1  His  intention  was 
to  see  Moravianism  in  the  place  of  its  birth.  At 
Marienborn  he  met  the  brotherhood  presided  over 
by  Count  Zinzendorf,  and  wrote  to  his  brother 
Samuel : — 

God  has  given  me  at  length  the  desire  of  my  heart. 
I  am  with  a  Church  whose  conversation  is  in  heaven  ; 
in  whom  is  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ,  and  who  so 
walk  as  He  walked.  As  they  have  all  one  Lord  and 
one  faith,  so  are  they  all  partakers  of  one  spirit — the 
spirit  of  meekness  and  love,  which  uniformly  and 
continually  animates  all  their  conversation. 

He  also  visited  Herrnhuth,  where  a  Moravian  car- 
penter, one  of  the  brotherhood,  instructed  him  in 
the  elementary  truths  :  "I  would  gladly  have  spent 
my  life  here.  Oh,  when  shall  this  Christianity 
cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea  1 "  He 
was  absent  from  England  on  this  visit  about  three 
months,  and  although  he  afterwards  parted  from 
the  Moravians,  and  their  direct  influence  over  him 
ceased,  yet  their  indirect  influence  was  in  all  his 
later  work.  The  sermon  preached  at  St  Mary's, 
Oxford,  on  June  11,  1738  (before  he  went  to 
Germany),  may  be  taken  as  the  manifesto  of  his 
position.     It  was  on  the  text   "By 

1  Journal,  June  7,  1738. 


WESLEY'S   FAITH.  83 

saved  through  faith,"  and  he  upheld  salvation  by- 
faith  as  a  threefold  deliverance — (1)  from  the  guilt 
of  all  past  sin  ;  (2)  from  servile  fear ;  (3)  from  the 
power  of  sin.  The  Christian  is  pardoned ;  has  the 
witness  of  the  Spirit ;  is  bora  again  and  lives  with- 
out sin.  Such  was  AVesley's  message,  that  created 
a  great  Church  and  awakened  the  religious  life  of 
the  country  :  it  was  a  renewal  of  the  Reformation  ; 
and  in  the  providence  of  God,  his  remarkable  edu- 
cation in  the  rectory  of  Epworth,  his  own  moral 
earnestness,  his  study  of  a  pious  literature,  his  con- 
tact with  like-souled  companions,  the  discipline  of 
his  life,  and  the  contact  with  Peter  Bohler  and  the 
Moravians,  as  well  as  the  fixing  of  his  study  on  the 
early  days  of  the  Church,  were  the  means  by  which 
he  was  led  to  the  position,  from  which  he  never 
wavered.  Of  him  it  was  true  in  a  unique  sense, 
"I  believed,  and  therefore  have  I  spoken."  The 
people  found  in  him  their  religious  leader,  and  he 
flashed  into  their  hearts  his  own  belief  and  earnest- 
ness. His  faith  sustained  him  amid  opposition, 
and  enabled  him  to  realise  a  service  unparalleled  in 
its  activity.  In  1738  began  the  incessant  round  of 
itinerant  labours  in  the  British  Isles,  which  he 
maintained  until  his  death  in  1791. 

The   mere  figures   which    represent   John    Wesley's 

itinerant  labours  are  enough  [says  Mr  Overton]  to  take 

erne's    breath    away.    .    .    .    Wesley   was    not    the    mere 

preacher.   ...    He  had  to  organise  and  visit  aumer- 

ocieties  :    he    kept   himself  well    abreast  of  the 


84:      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

literature  of  the  day  by  a  wide  and  varied  course  of 
reading  :  he  was  a  most  indefatigable  writer  and 
compiler  ;  a  frequent  though  most  unwilling  contro- 
versialist ;  a  reformer  of  practical  abuses,  and  an 
ardent  philanthropist.1 

For  more  than  fifty  years  [says  Mr  Leslie  Stephen] 
Wesley  was  the  autocratic  chief  of  his  society,  and,  not 
content  with  administration  from  a  distance,  personally 
inspected,  at  frequent  intervals,  every  part  of  the 
machinery  which  he  had  organised.  He  travelled  on 
his  ceaseless  round  of  duty  some  4500  miles  annually  ; 
he  preached  two  or  more  sermons  a-day  ;  and  it  is 
calculated  that  in  fifty-two  years  he  travelled  225,000 
miles,  and  preached  over  40,000  sermons.  The  ser- 
mons were  occasionally  delivered  to  audiences  of  20,000 
persons,  and  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  (August  23,  1789) 
he  records  an  address  delivered  to  a  congregation  of 
25,000.  Though  he  doubts  whether  all  could  hear 
the  feat,  considered  as  a  mere  exhibition  of  phys- 
ical energy,  is  something  stupendous.  He  arose  every 
morning  at  four,  allowing  himself  only  six  hours  of 
sleep,  though  we  are  told  that  he  possessed  the  fac- 
ulty, common  to  nearly  all  great  workers,  of  falling 
asleep  at  a  moment's  notice.  He  often  rode  seventy 
miles  a-day,  and  generally  read  as  he  rode,  avoiding 
stumbling,  as  he  tells  us,  by  riding  with  a  slack  rein. 
On  his  eighty- fifth  birthday  he  ascribes  his  health  to 
his  constant  exercise  and  change  of  air,  to  his  powers 
of  sleeping,  to  early  rising,  and  regular  preaching 
during  sixty  years  at  5  a.m.,  and  to  his  having  had 
little  pain,  sorrow,  or  anxious  care  during  his  life.2 


i  Life,  pp.  87,  88. 

2  History  of  English  Thought  in  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
vol.  ii.  pp.  410,  411. 


SUSTAINING    POWER.  85 

It  was  only  an  absorbing  faith  that  could  be  the 
inspiration  of  such  a  work,  and  Wesley  throughout 
his  long  and  busy  life  was  strengthened  by  a  two- 
fold consciousness  that  he  was  doing  work  to  which 
God  had  called  him,  and  doing  it  with  God's  visible 
blessing.1  "  The  best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us," 
was  the  underlying  comfort  of  his  life,  sustaining 
him  in  the  midst  of  his  labours  with  its  deep,  calm 
peace.  "In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation, 
but  in  Me  ye  shall  have  peace,"  was  his  life-secret 
and  daily  experience. 

John  Wesley  was  the  eighteenth-century  Luther, 
and  he  shines  out  in  history  as  the  rediscoverer  of 
the  Christian  message,  and  the  Reformer  of  the 
Church.  Recent  historians  have  traced  the  low 
tone  of  the  Church  of  England  in  the  eighteenth 
century  to  five  causes — (1)  its  outward  prosperity  ; 
(2)  the  influence  and  policy  of  Sir  R.  Walpole  {quieta 
rum  movere)  j  (3)  the  controversies  of  her  own  and 
previous  generations ;  (4)  political  complications ; 
(5)  want  of  synodal  action  ; 2  and  all  historians  repre- 
sent its  condition  as  very  dark  during  the  period. 

Overwhelming  evidence  [says  Dean  Farrar]  exists  to 

prove  what  was  the  preaching  of  that  day,  and  what 

was  the  condition  of  the  Church  and  people  of  England. 

'lull,  how  soulless,  how  effete,  how  Christless  was 


1  Dean  Farrar  in  '  Contemporary  Review,'  March  1891, 
p.  340. 

-  Tlit-  English  Church  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  by  Abbey 
and  Overton,  pp.  280-284. 


86      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

the  preaching  !  How  vapid,  how  Laodicean  was  the 
general  character  of  the  Church  !  How  godless,  how 
steeped  in  immorality  was  the  general  condition  of  the 
nation  !  Wesley  was  the  first  man  who  revived  the 
spirit  of  religion  among  the  masses  of  the  people,  and 
who  roused  the  slumbering  Church.  His  was  the  voice 
that  first  offered  the  great  masses  of  the  people  hope 
for  the  despairing,  and  welcome  to  the  outcast.1 

Wesley  brought  new  life  to  the  Church  of  the 
period,  which  may  be  described  in  Leighton's  words 
as  a  fair  carcass  without  a  spirit,  but  his  teaching 
also  saved  England  from  political  anarchy.  His  mes- 
sage was  a  return  to  Christ,  a  rediscovery  of  what 
had  been  lost,  a  reaffirmation  of  the  Christianity  of 
the  apostles. 

1.  His  message  was  the  assertion  that  God  is 
not  only  the  God  of  the  past,  but  the  Eevealer  in 
the  present;  the  living,  inspiring,  redeeming  God 
to-day.  And  so  it  drove  out  of  the  field  by  the 
irresistible  argument  of  experience  the  philosophy 
of  Deism,  which  asserted  that  God  was  dwelling 
apart  and  had  no  direct  relationship  to  the  human 
soul :  so  it  opposed  the  theology,  which  made  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  historical  —  a  feature  of  the 
past  —  speaking  to  men  from  long  -  vanished  cen- 
turies, or  from  a  sealed  book.  Wesley  believed 
that  the  Comforter  was  "  to  abide  for  ever,"  2  that 
He  was  witness-bearing  in  the  soul  to-day;  that 
He  wTas  giving   light  and  life  to  all   open  souls. 

i  Centenary  Sermons  and  Addresses,  pp.  183,  184. 

2  Stoughton's  History  of  Religion  in  England,  vol.  vi.  p.  121. 


VIEWS    ON   BIBLE.  87 

In  the  assertion  of  that  truth  lay  the  uniqueness 
of  his  ministry  and  the  secret  of  his  influence. 

2.  His  guide  in  matters  of  faith  and  conduct 
was  the  Bible,  illuminated  and  interpreted  by  the 
living  Spirit. 

At  any  price,  give  me  the  Book  of  God  !  I  have 
it :  here  is  knowledge  enough  for  me.  Let  me  be  homo 
libri  Here  then  I  am,  far  from  the  busy  ways 
of  men.  I  sit  down  alone  :  only  God  is  here.  In  His 
presence  I  open,  I  read,  His  book  ;  for  this  end,  to 
rind  the  way  to  heaven.  Is  there  a  doubt  concerning 
the  meaning  of  what  I  read  1  Does  anything  appear 
dark  or  intricate  ?  I  lift  up  my  heart  to  the  Father 
of  Lights,  "  Lord,  is  it  not  Thy  Word  1  '  If  any  man 
lack,  let  him  ask  of  God.'  Thou  '  givest  liberally,  and 
upbraideth  not.'  Thou  hast  said,  '  If  any  man  be  will- 
ing to  do  Thy  will,  he  shall  know  ! '  I  am  willing  to 
do,  let  me  know  Thy  will."  I  then  search  after  and 
consider  parallel  passages  of  Scripture,  "comparing 
spiritual  things  with  spiritual."  I  meditate  thereon 
with  all  the  attention  and  earnestness  of  which  my 
mind  is  capable.  If  any  doubt  still  remains,  I  consult 
those  who  are  experienced  in  the  things  of  God  ;  and 
then  the  writings  whereby,  being  dead,  they  yet  speak  ; 
and  what  I  thus  learn,  that  I  teach.1 

•">.   As  to  doctrine,  he  states  : — 

Our  main  doctrines,  which  include  all  the  rest,  are 
three  :  that  of  repentance,  of  faith,  and  of  holiness. 
The  first  of  these  we  account,  as  it  were,  the  porch 
of  religion  ;   the  next,  the  door  ;   the   third,  religion 

itself.  

1  Preface  to  Sermons. 


88      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

(a)  True  faith  and  holiness  are  as  inseparable  in 
experience  as  justification  and  sanctification. 

The  moment  we  are  justified  by  the  grace  of  God 
through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Jesus,  we  are  also 
born  of  the  Spirit ;  but  in  order  of  thinking,  justifi- 
cation precedes  sanctification.  We  first  conceive  His 
wrath  to  be  turned  away,  and  then  His  Spirit  to  work 
in  our  hearts.  Justification  implies  only  a  relative, 
the  new  birth  a  real,  change.  God  in  justifying  us 
does  something  for  us  ;  in  begetting  us  again,  He  does 
the  work  in  us.  By  justification,  instead  of  enemies 
we  become  children;  by  sanctification,  instead  of  sin- 
ners we  become  saints.  The  first  restores  us  to  the 
favour,  the  other  to  the  image,  of  God.  Justification, 
in  short,  is  equivalent  to  pardon,  and  the  very  moment 
we  are  justified,  sanctification  begins.  In  that  instant 
we  are  born  again. 

(b)  Another  prominent  feature  in  Wesley's  teach- 
ing is  the  new  birth.  It  is  the  work  of  God  in  us 
— the  renewal  of  the  sinful  nature — the  change, 
"  whereby  the  earthly,  sensual,  devilish  mind"  is 
turned  into  the  "  mind  which  was  in  Christ  Jesus." 

(c)  There  are  other  two  prominent  aspects  in 
Wesley's  preaching — (1)  the  doctrine  of  Christian 
Perfection,  and  (2)  of  Assurance.  As  to  the  former 
he  said  : — 

I  never  meant  any  more  by  perfection  than  the  loving 
God  with  all  our  heart,  and  serving  Him  with  all  our 
strength.     But  I  dare  not  say  less  than  this.1 


1  Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  233. 


DOCTRINE   OF   PERFECTION.  89 

On  another  occasion  he  wrote  : — 

What  is  Christian  perfection  ?  The  loving  God  with 
all  our  heart,  mind,  soul,  and  strength.  This  implies 
that  no  wrong  temper  remains  in  the  soul ;  and  that 
all  the  thoughts,  words,  and  actions  are  governed  by 
pure  love.1 

This  doctrine  led  to  much  controversy,  but  Wesley 
never  interpreted  it  as  "  sinless  perfection  "  :  it  was 
to  him  loving  God  with  all  our  heart,  and  serving 
Him  with  all  our  strength ;  but  it  did  not  involve 
freedom  from  ignorance,  or  from  error,  or  tempta- 
tion, or  infirmities.2  It  was  in  this  sense  only 
that  Wesley  used  the  Scriptural  term  perfection ; 
it  was  to  him  synonymous  with  dominion  over  sin, 
not  with  sinlessness.  He  fought  against  misap- 
prehension regarding  it,  and  warned  his  followers 
that  they  must  wait  for  entire  sanctification  or 
perfection 

Not  in  careless  indifference,  or  indolent  inactivity  ; 
but  in  vigorous,  universal  obedience,  in  a  zealous  keep- 
ing of  all  the  commandments,  in  watchfulness  and 
painfullness,  in  denying  ourselves,  and  taking  up  our 
cross  daily  ;  as  well  as  in  earnest  prayer  and  fasting, 
and  a  close  attendance  on  all  the  ordinances  of  God. 
If  any  man  dream  of  attaining  it  any  other  way,  yea, 
or  of  keeping  it  when  it  is  attained,  he  deceiveth  his 
own  s«>ul.  It  is  true  we  receive  it  by  simple  faith  ;  but 
God  does  not,  will  not,  give  that  faith,  unless  we  seek  it 
with  all  diligence  in  the  way  which  He  hath  ordained.3 


1  Tyerman'fl  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  346.  2  Overton's  Life,  p.  82. 

^>  Works,  vol.  xi.  p.  378  et 


90      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

While  Wesley  never  believed  that  he  had  attained 
this  degree  of  perfection  himself,  it  was  the  humility 
of  his  greatness  that  he  frequently  believed  those 
who  maintained  that  they  had.  As  to  Assurance, 
it  was  wrapt  up  to  Wesley's  thought  in  a  heart- 
felt faith.  Seating  religion  in  the  heart,  he  re- 
garded it  as  necessary  that  with  the  gift  of  pardon 
the  soul  should  possess  a  certain  sense  of  it. 
"  Faith  implies  assurance ;  an  assurance  of  the 
love  of  God  to  our  souls,  of  His  being  now  recon- 
ciled to  us,  and  having  forgiven  all  our  sins."1 
In  old  age  he  modified  his  opinion,  and  did  not 
hold  it  absolutely  necessary  that  assurance  was 
necessary  as  a  proof  of  salvation. 

When  [he  wrote]  fifty  years  ago,  my  brother  Charles 
and  I,  in  the  simplicity  of  our  hearts,  taught  the  people 
that  unless  they  knew  their  sins  were  forgiven  they 
were  under  the  wrath  and  curse  of  God,  I  marvel  they 
did  not  stone  us.  The  Methodists,  I  hope,  know  better 
now.  We  preach  assurance,  as  we  always  did,  as  a 
common  privilege  of  the  children  of  God,  but  we  do 
not  enforce  it  under  pain  of  damnation  denounced  on 
all  who  enjoy  it  not.2 

The  change  of  heart  Wesley  believed  to  be  instan- 
taneous :  it  was  as  the  awakening  from  a  sleep  by 
a  flash  of  divine  light :  it  was  as  the  snapping  of 
a  chain. 

The  forgiveness  of  sins  is  one  of  the  first  unseen 
things  whereof  faith  is  an  evidence.     And  if  you  are 


1  Earnest  Appeal.  2  Overton's  Life,  p.  84. 


DOCTRINE   OF   SACRAMENTS.  91 

sensible  of  this,  will  you  quarrel  with  us  concerning 
an  indifferent  circumstance  of  it  ?  Will  you  think  it 
an  important  objection  that  we  assert  that  this  faith 
is  usually  given  in  a  moment  ? l 

(<1)  As  to  the  sacraments,  Wesley  regards  them 
not  as  bare  signs,  but  as  direct  means  of  grace. 

Baptism  [he  says]  is  the  outward  sign  of  this  inward 
grace  (the  New  Birth),  which  is  supposed  by  our  Church 
to  be  given  with  and  through  that  sign  to  all  infants 
and  to  those  of  riper  years,  if  they  repent  and  believe 
the  Gospel. 2  The  benefits  of  receiving  the  Holy  Com- 
munion are — (1)  the  forgiveness  of  our  past  sins,  and 
(2)  the  present  strengthening  and  refreshing  of  our 
souls.  The  grace  of  God  given  herein  confirms  to  us 
the  pardon  of  our  sins,  and  enables  us  to  leave  them. 
Christ's  Body  and  Blood  is  the  food  of  our  souls  :  it 
gives  strength  to  perform  our  duty,  and  leads  us  on  to 
perfection.  Whoever,  therefore,  goes  from  the  Holy 
Table  when  all  things  are  prepared,  either  does  not 
understand  his  duty,  or  does  not  care  for  the  dying 
command  of  his  Saviour,  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins, 
the  strengthening  of  his  soul,  and  the  refreshing  it 
with  the  hope  of  glory.3 

In  1745  a  volume  of  hymns  on  the  Lord's  Supper 
published  by  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  to 
which  they  prefixed  a  brief  spiritual  treatise  of 
Dr  Brevint  entitled  '  The  Christian  Sacrament  and 
Sacrifice.'  The  manual  was  widely  circulated,  and 
passed  through   many  editions  ;    it   expresses  their 

1  Earnest  Appeal,  p.  24.  2  Overton's  Life,  p.  78. 

3  The  Eucharistic  Manuals  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley, 
edited  with  Introduction  by  W.  E.  Dutton,  pp.  xiv,  xv. 


92      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFJELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

views  on  the  sacrament,  and  impresses  upon  the 
Societies  the  importance  of  frequent  communion.1 
Their  position  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Scottish 
Eeformers  : — 

We  utterlie  dampne  the  vanitie  of  those  that  affirme 
Sacramentis  to  be  nothing  else  but  naked  and  bair 
signes.  No,  we  assuredlie  beleve,  that  by  Baptisme 
we  ar  ingrafted  in  Christ  Jesus  to  be  maid  partakers 
of  His  justice,  by  the  whiche  our  synes  are  covered 
and  remitted  ;  and  also,  that  in  the  Supper,  rychtlie 
used,  Christ  Jesus  is  so  joyned  with  us,  that  He 
becumis  the  verray  nurishement  and  foode  of  our 
saullis. 2 

It  may  be  said  that  Wesley  fought  out  in  his  own 
experience  a  development  similar  to  that  of  Luther ; 
justification  by  faith  was  to  both  of  them  the  test 
of  a  living  Church,  and  with  regard  to  the  sacra- 
ment their  position  was  identical.  Wesley  redis- 
covered the  principle  of  the  Eeformation  principle, 
and  in  this  sense  we  can  say  with  the  Rev.  Hugh 
Price  Hughes : — 

All  modern  religious  history  is  summed  up  in  the 
two  momentous  facts  that  Ignatius  Loyola  has  cap- 
tured the  Catholic  Churches,  and  that  John  Wesley 
has  captured  the  Evangelical  Churches.  Jesuitism 
and  Methodism — these  are  the  two  ultimate  forms  of 
intense,  logical,  thorough-going  Christianity.  Absol- 
ute subjection  to  the  Christ — there  is  no  other  alter- 
native for  the  enthusiastic   "out-and-out"   Christian 


1  Jackson's  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  vol.  i.  p.  421. 

2  Knox's  Works,  vol.  ii.  p.  114. 


DISLIKES   CONTROVERSY.  93 

of  the  twentieth  century.  Absolute  subjection  to  a 
Creed  is  no  longer  possible.  Men  are  becoming  too 
much  in  earnest  for  any  illogical  compromise.1 

AVesley  made  his  faith  real  to  the  masses  of  the 
people  ;  his  work  was  an  evangelism — an  effort  that 
signally  succeeded  in  reviving  the  Eeformation, 
and  awakening  the  Church  from  the  lethargy  into 
which,  after  the  brighter  days  of  Puritanism,  it  had 
fallen.2  If  he  was  brought  into  controversy,  it 
was  from  necessity  and  not  from  choice  ;  he  endeav- 
oured always  to  be  true  to  Archbishop  Potter's  words, 
and  recalled  them  in  old  age  with  gratitude  : — 

Near  fifty  years  ago  a  great  and  good  man,  Dr  Potter, 
then  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  gave  me  an  advice  for 
which  I  have  ever  since  had  occasion  to  bless  God.  "  If 
you  desire  to  be  extensively  useful,  do  not  spend  your 
time  and  strength  in  contending  for  or  against  such 
things  as  are  of  a  disputable  nature,  but  in  testifying 
-t  open,  notorious  vice,  and  in  promoting  real 
essential  holineet 

Dean  Stanley  frequently  emphasises  this  as  the 
supreme  object   of  Wesley's  life,4  and  states  it  in 

1  Nineteenth  Century,  March  1891,  p.  479. 

2  Principal  Cairns'  Address  in  Centenary  Volume,  p.  426. 

3  Stanley's  Addresses  and  Sermons  delivered  in  America, 
p.  47. 

4  Dean  Stanley  records  the  saying  of  the  old  Scottish  Meth- 
odist, who  on  his  deathbed  regretted  his  denunciation  of  the 
heresies  of  tin-  rival  sects  on  either  side  of  the  street  where 
he  lived.  "  The  street  Pm  now  travelling  in,  lad,  has  nae 
rides  :  and  if  power  were  given  me,  I  would  preach  purity  of 
life  mair,  and  purity  of  doctrine  less,  than  I  did." — Dean 
Stanley's  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  538. 


94      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

the  words  of  Alexander  Bruce,1  that  "  his  main, 
fundamental,  overpowering  passion  was  not  the 
promotion  of  any  particular  dogma  or  any  par- 
ticular doctrine,  but  the  elevation  of  the  whole 
Christian  world  in  the  great  principles  of  Christian 
holiness  and  morality."2  That  he  strove  towards 
and  succeeded  in  this  great  mission  arose  from  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  prophet  with  a  message,  true 
to  his  own  spiritual  experience,  and  finding  its 
response  in  the  hearts  of  thousands.  His  Christ- 
ian work  was  inspired  and  sustained  by  his  strong 
belief,  and  he  was  evangelical  in  the  largest,  sim- 
plest sense  of  the  word — viz.,  that  in  an  artificial 
age  he  returned  to  the  literal  teaching  of  the 
Gospel.3  From  1739,  when  he  began  field-preach- 
ing,4 to  1791,  he  declared  his  great  message  and 
pursued  his  great  ideal,  but  it  cannot  be  overlooked 
that  one  of  his  greatest  helps  was  the  power  of 
sacred  song. 

"  A  verse  may  find  him  who  a  sermon  flies, 
And  turn  delight  into  a  sacrifice." 

"  Perhaps  no  other  Church  "  (like  the  Methodist), 
says  Dr  Stoughton,  "has  ever  lived,  and  moved,  and 
had  its  being  in  such  an  atmosphere  of  sacred  song."5 
And  just  here  is  another  point  of  similarity  between 

1  Latest  Edition  of  South ey's  Life. 

2  American  Addresses,  p.  46 ;  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  538. 

3  John  Wesley,  by  Julia  Wedgwood,  p.  139. 

4  The  Living  Wesley,  by  Dr  Eigg,  p.  166. 

5  History  of  Keligion  in  England,  vol.  vi.  p.  141. 


WESLEY  AN    HYMNS.  95 

the  movement  headed  by  Luther  and  that  by  the 
Weslevs — both  were  accompanied  by  a  great  out- 
burst of  religious  poetry.  "  The  whole  people," 
wrote  a  Romanist  at  the  time,  "is  singing  itself 
into  this  Lutheran  doctrine."  "  Luther  did  as 
much,"  said  Coleridge,  "  for  the  Reformation  by 
his  hymns  as  by  his  translation  of  the  Bible." * 
The  hymns  of  John  and  Charles  Wesley — especi- 
ally of  the  latter — instilled  their  burning  faith, 
devotion,  and  aspiration  into  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  and  it  is  in  no  small  degree  due  to  the 
influence  of  these  hymns  that  the  evangelism  was 
so  successful.  "  Suspiria  vatum  solatium  ecclesiae." 
Charles  "Wesley  was  the  "  sweet  singer "  of  the 
religious  revival. 

His  hymns  [says  Mr  Green]  expressed  the  fiery  con- 
victions of  its  converts  in  lines  so  chaste  and  beautiful 
that  its  more  extravagant  features  disappeared.  The 
wild  throes  of  hysteric  enthusiasm  passed  into  a  pas- 
sion for  hymn-singing,  and  a  new  musical  impulse  was 
aroused  in  the  people  which  gradually  changed  the  face 
of  public  devotion  throughout  England.  - 

It  has  been  estimated  that  during  Wesley's  life- 
time there  were  published  not  fewer  than  6G00 
hymns  from  the  pen  of  Charles  Wesley  alone.9 
They  also  collected  and  furnished  tunes;4  "  why 
should  the  devil,"  John  Wesley  said,  "  have  all  the 

i  Prr^ott'.-;  Hymn  and  Hymn-Writers,  p.  68. 

-  A  Short  History  of  the  English  People,  vol.  iv.  p,  1014. 

3  Tyenuan's  Lit.-,  vol.  i.  p.  397. 

4  John  Wesley  was  conducting  worship,  ami  his  .sense  of 


96      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

best  tunes  1 "  These  hymns  reached  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  and  many  of  them  are  in  the  hymn-books  of 
all  the  Churches  to-day.  The  Wesleys  were  teachers 
and  poets,  but  it  was  John  Wesley's  distinctive  work 
to  be  the  founder  of  societies  throughout  England, 
Ireland,  and  Scotland.  The  motto  of  such  was, 
11  Strengthen  one  another  " :  their  object  was  to  bring 
to  bear  upon  the  life  of  the  whole  the  life  of  each ; 
to  give  a  sphere  of  influence  to  the  awakened  life 
so  that  the  strong  might  help  the  weak,  and  the 
spiritually  mature  the  immature.  The  last  thing  he 
desired  was  separation  from  the  Church ;  his  societies 
aimed  at  rilling  up  what  was  wanting  in  the  Eng- 
lish Church,  that  there  might  be  realised  all  that  a 
Christian  Church  should  be.1  They  were  intended 
to  strengthen  the  Church  by  advancing  Scriptural 
holiness  ;  they  met  at  hours  non-canonical,  and  were 
regarded  by  Wesley  as  streams  feeding  the  spiritual 
life  of  the  Church.  Their  object  was  to  build  up  in 
Christian  doctrine  and  fellowship ;  and  they  were 
similar  to  the  Exercise  in  the  Scottish  Eeformed 
Church,  to  which  prominence  was  given  in  the 
First  Book  of  Discipline.  Wesley  recognised  the 
necessity  of   an  itinerating  ministry ;    so  did   the 

harmony  was  ruffled  by  the  discordant  voice  of  an  old 
woman. 

"  My  good  sister,  you  are  singing  out  of  tune." 

"  My  heart  is  singing,  sir,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

"Then  sing  on,  my  sister." — Christopher's  Poets  of  Method- 
ism, p.  16. 

1  John  Wesley,  by  Julia  Wedgwood,  p.  247. 


SCOTTISH   "EXERCISE."  97 

early  Scottish  Reformers,  although  they  afterwards 
endeavoured  to  have  a  pastor  settled  in  every  parish  : 
it  is  also  interesting  to  observe  that  their  "  Exercise  " 
and  Wesley's  societies  were  somewhat  identical. 
Both  were  an  abandonment  of  sacerdotal  tradi- 
tions ;  both  were  an  assertion  of  the  priesthood  of 
the  Christian  people.  The  Scottish  Exercise  was 
a  kind  of  general  or  congregational  assemblage, 
which  was  held  once  a -week,  with  the  object  of 
bringing  the  members  of  the  Church  together  on 
a  social  basis  for  mutual  edification,  "  that  the 
Kirk  have  judgment  and  knowledge  of  the  graces, 
gifts,  and  utterances  of  every  man  within  their 
body ;  the  simple  and  such  as  have  somewhat  pro- 
fited shall  be  encouraged  daily  to  study  and  to 
prove  in  knowledge,  and  the  whole  Kirk  shall  be 
edified.  .  .  .  Every  man  shall  have  liberty  to  utter 
and  declare  his  mind."1  Wesley's  religious  societies 
— with  their  class -meetings,  their  band -meetings, 
love-feasts,  quarterly  meetings,  watch-night  services, 
their  lay  assistants  or  helpers — were  intended  to 
realise  the  same  purpose.  The  Scottish  Reformers 
and  he  were  practically  at  one,  and  both  received 
their  inspiration  from  the  same  model  in  apostolic 
times.  We  know  that  Wesley,  when  a  young  man, 
much  impressed  by  the  words  of  a  serious  man 
at   Wroot  wish  to  serve  God  and  go  to 

heaven.     Remember  you  cannot  serve  Him  alone ; 

1  The  Apostolic   Ministry  in  the  Scottish   Church,  by  Prin- 
cipal Stor;. 

G 


98      WESLEY  AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

you  must  therefore  find  companions  or  make  them ; 
the  Bible  knows  nothing  of  solitary  religion."  He 
was  impressed  with  the  meetings  held  at  Epworth, 
when  his  father  was  at  Convocation,1  by  his  talented 
mother,  Susanna  "Wesley,  who  has  been  called  the 
real  founder  of  the  Methodists.2  He  recognised  the 
impulse  to  the  spiritual  life  which  the  Oxford  holy 
club  gave  to  his  companions  and  himself,  and  he 
could  not  doubt  that  such  would  be  helpful  to  the 
Church  in  general.  All  such  predispositions  were 
strengthened  by  his  study  of  the  Primitive  Church, 
and  it  was  there  that  he  recognised  the  authority  for 
his  movement  which  achieved  so  much  for  the  cause 
of  vital  religion. 

I  could  not  but  observe, — This  is  the  very  thing 
which  was  from  the  beginning  of  Christianity.  In  the 
earlier  times  those  whom  God  had  sent  forth  "  preached 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  And  the  ol  anpoarcu, 
"  the  body  of  hearers,"  were  mostly  either  Jews  or 
heathens.  But  as  soon  as  any  of  them  were  so  con- 
vinced of  the  truth  as  to  forsake  sin  and  seek  the 
Gospel  salvation,  they  immediately  joined  them  to- 
gether, took  an  account  of  their  names,  advised  them 
to  watch  over  each  other,  and  met  those  /caT7?xouyueVot, 
"  catechumens  "  (as  they  were  then  called),  apart  from 
the  great  congregation,  that  they  might  instruct, 
rebuke,  exhort,  and  pray  with  them,  and  for  them, 
according  to  their  several  necessities.3 


1  Diary,  vol.  i.  pp.  361-363. 

2  Life,  by  Julia  Wedgwood,  p.  49. 

3  Works,  vol.  viii.  p.  250. 


SCRIPTURAL  HOLINESS.  99 

The  object  of  the  societies  was  to  revive  the 
spirit  of  religion  throughout  the  land ;  to  advance 
"  Scriptural  holiness  "  :  their  meetings  were  to  be 
apart  from  Church  hours,  and  were  constituted  to 
bring  new  warmth  and  impact  to  the  Church. 

I  met  [he  wrote  in  1786]  the  classes  at  Deptford, 
and  was  vehemently  importuned  to  order  the  Sunday 
service  in  our  room  at  the  same  time  as  that  of  the 
Church.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  this  would  be  a  formal 
separation  from  the  Church.  We  fixed  both  our  morn- 
ing and  evening  service,  all  over  England,  at  such  hours 
as  not  to  interfere  with  the  Church  ;  with  this  very 
! — that  those  of  the  Church,  if  they  chose  it, 
might  attend  both  one  and  the  other.  But  to  fix  it  at 
the  same  time  was  obliging  them  to  separate  either 
from  the  Church  or  us  ;  and  this  I  judge  to  be  not 
only  inexpedient,  but  totally  unlawful  for  me  to  do. 

Three  months  later  he  added  : — 

If  you  are  resolved  you  may  have  your  service  in 
church  hours  ;  but,  remember,  from  that  time  you 
will  see  my  face  no  more.  This  struck  deep,  and  from 
that  hour  I  have  heard  no  more  of  separating  from  the 
Church. 

The  places  where  Wesley's  influence  was  most  felt 
were  the  largely-populated  commercial  centres  and 
the  country  villages — not  least  of  all  the  mining 
districts.  Fashionable  resorts  and  university  cities 
were  not  much  affected  by  him.  Kenned  gentle- 
man and  scholar  as  he  was,  he  loved  to  work  among 
the  poor. 


100      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Wesley  and  Whitefield  [says  Charles  Kingsley],  and 
many  another  noble  soul,  said  to  Nailsea  colliers, 
Cornish  miners,  and  all  manner  of  brutalised  fellows 
living  like  the  beasts  that  perish  :  "  Each  of  you — 
thou,  and  thou,  and  thou  —  stand  apart  and  alone 
before  God.  Each  has  an  immortal  soul  in  him,  which 
will  be  happy  or  miserable  for  ever,  according  to  the 
deeds  done  in  the  body.  A  whole  eternity  of  shame 
or  of  glory  lies  in  you — and  you  are  living  like  a  beast." 
And  in  proportion  as  each  man  heard  that  word  and 
took  it  home  to  himself,  he  became  a  new  man  and  a 
true  man.i 

Wesley  [says  Dr  Rigg]  devoted  his  labours  chiefly 
to  districts  of  the  country  where  the  population  was 
large  ;  where  there  was  free  opportunity  for  them  to 
follow  his  ministry,  if  they  had  a  mind  to  do  so,  and 
where  he  would  have  it  in  his  power,  night  after  night, 
and  visit  after  visit,  at  not  too  long  intervals,  to  follow 
up  his  work  by  blow  after  blow,  by  stroke  upon  stroke. 
He  gave  little  labour  or  attention  to  fashionable  places 
of  resort.2 

It  was  amid  the  neglected  wastes  that  he  accom- 
plished his  most  successful  work ;  it  was  there  that 
he  became  the  evangelist  of  the  masses ;  it  was 
from  the  dark  corners  of  the  earth  that  he  won  the 
brightest  trophies  for  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  and 
formed  his  converts  into  societies,  the  primary  aim 
of  which  was  to  strengthen  one  another. 

His  officers  were  called  by  him  "  lay  assistants  or 
helpers";  their  office  was — 

In  the  absence  of  the  minister  (that  is,  a  regular 


i  Koman  and  Teuton,  p.  238.         2  The  Living  Wesley,  p.  228. 


LAY   HELPERS.  101 

clergyman),  (1)  to  expound  every  morning  and  evening ; 
(2)  to  meet  the  united  society,  the  Lands,  the  select 
society,  and  the  penitents  once  a-\veek  ;  (3)  to  visit 
the  classes  once  a-quarter  ;  (4)  to  hear  and  decide  all 
differences  ;  (5)  to  put  the  disorderly  back  on  trial,  and 
to  receive  on  trial  for  the  bands  or  society  ;  (6)  to  see 
that  the  stewards,  the  leaders,  and  the  schoolmasters 
faithfully  discharge  their  several  offices  ;  (7)  to  meet 
the  leaders  of  the  bands  and  classes  weekly,  and  the 
stewards,  and  to  overlook  their  accounts.  .  .  .  They 
no  more  take  upon  them  to  be  priests  than  to  be  kings. 
They  take  not  upon  them  to  administer  the  sacra- 
ments—  an  honour  peculiar  to  the  priests  of  God. 
Only,  according  to  their  power,  they  exhort  their 
brethren  to  continue  in  the  grace  of  God. 

It  was  in  1741  that  Wesley  began  to  employ  lay 
preachers,  and  it  was  on  the  advice  of  his  mother 
that  he  first  sanctioned  them ;  the  order  arose  from 
the  stress  of  circumstances,  and  was  reluctantly 
permitted  by  Wesley.  He  hedged  it  by  the 
strictest  precautions :  every  preacher  had  to  be  a 
"  local "  before  becoming  an  "  itinerant,"  and  Wesley 
ruled  them  by  a  firm  hand,  although  there  was  a 
paternal  gentleness  in  his  government.  He  inspired 
their  devotion,  but  he  ruled  their  zeal :  he  termed 
his  itinerants  "  preachers  "  or  "  helpers,"  while  the 
superintendent  of  a  circuit  was  called  "  the  as- 
sistant." l  It  La  interesting  to  find  here  another 
resemblance  between  Wesley's  system  and  that 
of  the  early  Scottish  Reformers.  The  following 
is  his  defence  of  the  order: — 

1  Overton's  Wesley,  \>.  134. 


d 


102      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

I  am  bold  to  affirm  that  these  unlettered  men  have 
help  from  God  for  the  great  work  of  saving  souls  from 
death.  But,  indeed,  in  the  one  thing  which  they 
profess  to  know,  they  are  not  ignorant  men.  I  trust 
there  is  not  one  of  them  who  is  not  able  to  go  through 
such  an  examination,  in  substantial,  practical,  experi- 
mental divinity,  as  few  of  our  candidates  for  holy 
orders,  even  in  the  university,  are  able  to  do.  In 
answer  to  the  objection  that  they  are  laymen,  I  reply, 
The  scribes  of  old,  who  were  the  ordinary  preachers 
among  the  Jews,  were  not  priests  ;  they  were  not 
better  than  laymen.  Yea,  many  of  them  were  incap- 
able of  the  priesthood,  being  not  of  the  tribe  of  Levi. 
Hence,  probably,  it  was  that  the  Jews  themselves 
never  urged  it  as  an  objection  to  our  Lord's  preach- 
ing. That  He  was  no  priest  after  the  order  of  Aaron, 
nor,  indeed,  could  be,  seeing  He  was  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah.  Nor  does  it  appear  that  any  objected  this 
to  the  apostles.  If  we  come  to  later  times,  was  Mr 
Calvin  ordained  ?  Was  he  either  priest  or  deacon  ? 
And  were  not  most  of  those  whom  it  pleased  God  to 
employ  in  promoting  the  Reformation  abroad,  laymen 
also  1  Could  that  great  work  have  been  promoted  at 
all,  in  many  places,  if  laymen  had  not  preached  ?  In 
all  Protestant  Churches  ordination  is  not  held  a  nec- 
essary prerequisite  of  preaching  ;  for  in  Sweden,  in 
Germany,  in  Holland,  and,  I  believe,  in  every  Re- 
formed Church  in  Europe,  it  is  not  only  permitted, 
but  required,  that,  before  any  one  is  ordained,  he  shall 
publicly  preach  a  year  or  more  ad  pi-obandam  facul- 
tatem.  And,  for  this  practice,  they  believe  they  have 
an  express  command  of  God :  "  Let  those  first  be 
proved,  then  let  them  use  the  office  of  a  deacon,  being 
found  blameless"  (1  Tim.  iii.  10).  Besides,  in  how 
many  churches  in  England  does  the  parish  clerk  read 


LAY   PREACHING.  103 

one  of  the  lessons,  and  in  some  the  whole  service  of 
the  Church,  perhaps  every  Lord's  day  ?  And  do  not 
other  laymen  constantly  do  the  same  thing  in  our 
very  cathedrals  !  which,  being  under  the  inspection  of 
the  bishops,  should  be  patterns  to  all  other  churches. 
Nay,  is  it  not  done  in  the  universities  themselves  ? 
Who  ordained  that  singing  man  at  Christ  Church  ; 
who  is  likewise  utterly  unqualified  for  the  work,  mur- 
dering every  lesson  he  read  :  not  endeavouring  to  read 
e  Word  of  God,  but  rather  as  an  old  song? l 

Wesley  thus  found  a  reason  for  his  action  in  the 
examples  of  the  Primitive  and  Eeformed  Churches  ; 
but  his  mother's  words  could  not  be  without  their 
influence,  and  they  came  at  a  crisis.  John  Nelson 
and  Thomas  Maxfield  had  begun  lay  preaching  in 
Yorkshire  and  London,  and  Wesley,  hearing  of  the 
irregularity,  hurried  to  London  to  stop  it.  His 
mother,  living  in  the  house  near  the  Foundry, 
said :  "  John,  take  care  what  you  do  with  respect 
to  that  young  man  [Maxfield],  for  he  is  as  surely 
called  to  God  to  preach  as  you  are.  Examine 
what  have  been  the  fruits  of  his  preaching,  and 
hear  him  yourself." -  Wesley  did  so,  and  the 
Rubicon  was  crossed. 

In  the  choice  of  his  preachers  Wesley  recognised 
three  things  as  necessary — character,  gifts,  grace ; 
and  over  them  and  the  societies  (which  were  com- 
pleted by  the  institution  of  a  Conference,  1744, 
and  held  annually  ever  afterwards)  he  was  supreme 
and  absolute  ruler.  The  minutes  are  interesting  in 
i  Tyerrnan's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  370.  -  Ibid.,  p.  369. 


104      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

themselves,  and  as  manifesting  the  development  of 
the  movement.  Wesley  united  two  opposites — a 
genius  for  ruling  and  a  constant  openness  to  influ- 
ence wherever  it  commended  itself  to  his  reason ; 
one  of  the  most  interesting  features  in  his  life  for 
over  half  a  century  was  his  government,  almost 
autocratic,  and  the  devotion  he  inspired  among 
his  preachers.  The  letters  they  wrote  to  him  are 
permeated  with  a  lovely  personal  religion,  and  a 
childlike  devotion  and  implicit  obedience  to  their 
leader.1 

By  these  societies,  and  the  earnest  religious 
fervour  they  called  forth  j  by  these  lay  preachers, 
local  and  itinerant,2  whom  he  inspired  with  quench- 
less enthusiasm  ;  by  his  own  personal  superintend- 
ence over  them  all,  his  unique  personality,  and  his 
own  itinerant  labours  extending  for  over  half  a 
century,  and  exhibiting  an  apostolic  fervour  and  a 
strength  almost  superhuman  in  their  range  ;  by  the 
library  of  healthy  Christian  literature,  which  he 
edited  and  spread  among  the  people ;  by  his  own 
and  his  brother's  soul-stirring  hymns ;  by  his  own 
preaching,  and  his  apostolic  life,  which  manifested 
faith  as  a  reality  to  the  world, — John  Wesley  pro- 

1  See  Jackson's  Library  of  Christian  Biography,  12  vols. 

2  It  has  been  said,  "  When  the  school  of  heraldry  shall  make 
for  Methodist  preachers  a  coat-of-arms,  it  will  surely  have  a 
man  on  horseback  in  its  field  ;  but  if  the  artist  would  be  true 
to  history,  the  itinerant  must  have  an  open  book  before  him, 
resting  on  the  horn  of  his  saddle." — A  Short  History  of  the 
Methodists,  by  W.  H.  Daniels,  A.M.,  p.  132. 


*\ 


WKSLEYAN   REVIVAL.  105 

duced  a  remarkable  change  in  the  religious  life  of 
the  country,  and  so  permeated  all  the  Churches  with 
his  zeal  that  his  influence  may  be  said  to  pulse 
through  them  still.  Luther  is  his  only  peer,  and 
the  Churches  that  bear  their  honoured  names  are 
the  direct  fruits  of  their  work ;  but  they  both  lea- 
vened other  Churches  far  and  wide,  which  testify 
equally  to  their  influence.  "  During  the  nine- 
teenth century,"  says  Dr  Marshall  Lang,  "the  at- 
mosphere of  the  Churches  of  Christendom  has  been 
transformed.  It  has  risen  from  zero  to  blood- 
heat."1  It  is  only  historically  true  to  say  that 
much  of  the  religious  fervour,  belief,  catholicity, 
and  enthusiasm  of  humanity  have  come  from  John 
Wesley  and  the  religious  movement  he  created  and 
inspired.  The  Churches  are  all  rich  with  his 
memory,  but  richer  with  his  inspiring  and  quick- 
ening example ;  thousands  have  seen  in  him  a 
faith  which  years  could  not  dim  nor  opposition 
..  His  is  a  splendid,  dauntless  figure,  full  of 
inspiration  to  all  who  love  and  admire  devotion. 
"  The  Evangelical  movement,  the  Oxford  move- 
ment, even  the  recent  enthusiasm  of  the  Salva- 
tion Army,"  says  Dean  Farrar,  "  are  traceable  to 
his  example,  and  to  the  convictions  which  In- 
inspired."2  "The  Salvationists,"  said  the  late 
Bishop  Lightfoot,  "taught  by  Wesley,  have  learnt, 
and    have    taught   to   the   Church    again,    the    lost 

1  Expansion  of  the  Christian  Life,  p.  209. 
temporary  Review,  March  1891,  ]  . 


106      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

secret  of   the    compulsion  of   human    souls  to  the 
Saviour." 

Wesley  awakened  the  Church  by  inspiring  the 
enthusiasm  of  humanity,  and  organising  an  awak- 
ened people ;  he  held  out  a  welcome  to  the  de- 
spairing, a  welcome  to  the  outcast,  and,  like  his 
Master,  sought  and  saved  the  lost;  his  work  has 
been  carried  on  by  Churches  inspired  by  the  spirit 
that  possessed  him.  Wesley  influenced  every  sub- 
sequent generation  by  deeply  and  permeatively 
influencing  his  own ;  his  influence  spread  by  con- 
tagion, and  was  continued  by  the  succession  of 
spiritual  character ;  his  movement  was  purely  reli- 
gious, and  any  explanation  attributing  it  to  personal 
ambition  is  not  for  a  moment  to  be  considered.  He 
aroused  a  religious  force  in  the  nation,  and  thus 
awakened  the  Church  of  England,  as  well  as  inspired 
philanthropic  and  missionary  movements,  which, 
widened  and  broadened  since  his  day,  owe  to  him 
their  initial  start  and  vis  vivida.  He  lessened  the 
evils  that  accompany  the  growth  of  industrialism, 
which  went  forward  with  great  rapidity  in  his  day ; 
he  counteracted  the  inflammable  elements  that  were 
massed  together,  and  he  did  so  by  bringing  to 
bear  upon  the  visible  chaos  the  power  of  spiritual 
forces.  Well  for  England  was  it  that  this  transi- 
tion to  industrialism  was,  in  the  words  of  a  great 
historian,  "  preceded  by  a  religious  revival  which 
opened  a  new  spring  of  moral  and  religious  energy 
among   the   poor,  and  at   the    same    time   gave  a 


WKSLEYAN    REVIVAL   AND   PATRIOTISM.      107 

powerful    impulse    to     the    philanthropy    of    the 
rich."  l 

He  not  only  made  the  Methodists  good  Christians, 
he  also  made  them  good  citizens.  "  Fear  God,  honour 
the  king,"  was  an  outstanding  principle  in  his  creed. 
In  doing  so  to  his  age,  and  in  leavening  the  thou- 
sands of  his  followers  by  it,  he  saved  England  from 
a  revolution  that  might  have  been  similar  to  that  in 
France.     Says  Mr  Lecky  : — 

Religion,  property,  civil  authority,  and  domestic  life 
were  all  assailed,  and  doctrines  incompatible  with  the 
very  existence  of  government  were  embraced  by  multi- 
tudes with  the  fervour  of  a  religion.  England,  on  the 
whole,  escaped  the  contagion.  Many  causes  conspired 
to  save  her,  but  among  them  a  prominent  place  must, 
I  believe,  be  given  to  the  new  and  vehement  religious 
enthusiasm  which  was  at  that  very  time  passing 
through  the  middle  and  lower  classes  of  the  people, 
which  had  enlisted  in  its  service  a  large  proportion  of 
the  wilder  and  more  impetuous  reformers,  and  which 
recoiled  with  horror  from  the  anti- Christian  tenets 
that  were  associated  with  the  Revolution  in  France.- 

Loyalty  and  patriotism  were  parts  of  Wesley's 
religion  ;  many  of  his  followers  were  soldiers,  and 
it  was  said  that  there  were  no  better  soldiers  in 
the  army  than  the  Methodists.3  If  the  true  problem 
ligion  })<!  to  save  men  from  practical  atheism  in 
life  and  anarchy  in  politic.-,  John  Wesley's  teaching 

1  L.-eky's  England  in  the  Eighteenth   Century,   vol.  ii.  pp. 
637,  638. 
»  Ut  mUea,  pp.  I  *erfam'i  Life,  p.  143. 


108      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

and  practice  signally  succeeded.  He  exercised  his 
vast  influence  in  favour  of  both,  and  the  power  of 
his  personality  was  absolute  among  his  followers. 
In  his  'Calm  Address  to  the  Inhabitants  of  Eng- 
land' he  tells  the  Methodists  that  "though  many 
who  go  under  that  name  hate  the  king  and  all  his 
ministers  only  less  than  they  hate  an  Arminian, 
he  will  no  more  continue  in  fellowship  with  them 
than  with  thieves,  drunkards,  and  common  swearers." 
In  1789,  in  extreme  old  age,  he  preached  a  thanks- 
giving sermon  at  Bristol  on  "the  grand  day  of 
rejoicing  for  his  Majesty's  recovery."  He  protested 
against  smuggling : — 

Neither  sell  nor  buy  anything  that  has  not  paid  the 
duty.  Defraud  not  the  king  any  more  than  your 
fellow-subject.  Never  think  of  being  religious  unless 
you  are  honest.  What  has  a  thief  to  do  with  religion  1 
...  A  smuggler  is  a  thief  of  the  first  order,  a  high- 
wayman or  pickpocket  of  the  worst  sort.  Let  not  any 
of  those  prate  about  religion  !  Government  should 
drive  these  vermin  away  into  lands  not  inhabited  ! 
.  .  .  That  detestable  practice  of  cheating  the  king 
is  no  more  found  in  our  societies.  And  since  that 
accursed  thing  has  been  put  away,  the  work  of  God 
has  everywhere  increased. 

Wesley's  politics  were  an  application  of  his  reli- 
gious beliefs ;  while  he  had  the  vision  of  eternity, 
he  had  also  the  vision  of  a  city  of  God  on  earth — 
while  of  heaven,  yet  in  time. 

The  Wesleyan  revival  was  a  great  missionary 
movement.    Beginning  as  a  home  mission  and  a  care 


INFLUENCE   ON    MISSIONARY    EXPANSION.       109 

for  the  neglected  wastes,  it  led  to  foreign  mis- 
sionary enterprise,  for  both  are  different  aspects  of 
the  same  spirit  and  are  not  to  be  separated  from 
each  other.  John  Wesley  created  and  inspired  in 
the  eighteenth  century  the  enthusiasm  of  humanity, 
and  both  his  and  Whitefield's  example  gave  it  a 
mighty  impulse.  It  was  the  outcome  of  the  reli- 
gious revival,  fostered  by  them.  The  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury  lias  said,  "The  time  was  not  far  off 
when  it  would  be  felt  that  no  Christian  was  living 
a  Christian  life  who  did  not  care  for  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen."  1  John  Wesley  was 
an  embodiment  of  the  missionary  spirit,  and  his 
work  had  no  small  power  in  diffusing  it  far  and 
wide.  The  missionary  enthusiasm  was  coeval  with 
Methodism,  and  it  has  broadened  ever  since. 

Such  is  a  short  account  of  John  Wesley's  life, 
belief,  and  work ;  his  movement  was  deepest  felt 
in  England  and  Ireland,  but  it  entered  Scotland  as 
a  spiritual  force  within  the  Church.  There  is  the 
John  Wesley  of  Scottish  Church  history,  and  there 
is  the  John  Wesley  within  Scottish  Church  history, 
and  if  the  first  does  not  seem  to  have  accomplished 
much  on  Scottish  soil,  the  second  has  been  deep  and 
pervasive.  Before  dealing  with  the  second  we  have 
to  deal  with  the  first,  and  it  is  interesting  and  in- 
structive, for  he  has  left  a  Journal,-  in  which  there  is 

■i'lress,  July  3,  1898. 
2  "Wslpole,  Wesley,  and  Johnson  (Boswell  I  mean),  three 

very  different  men  whose  lives  extend  over  the  sum;  times,  and 


110      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

to  be  found  a  record  of  his  Scottish  visits.  Although 
they  form  but  a  very  small  part  of  his  herculean 
labours,  they  are  filled  with  interest,  and  to  his 
record  men  will  turn,  not  only  as  the  narrative  of 
a  brave  endeavour  to  spread  "  Scriptural  holiness," 
but  as  a  work  casting  light  upon  the  Church  his- 
tory of  the  period.  His  remarks  on  the  country, 
Scottish  history,  churches,  men,  and  books  are  all 
interesting,  as  giving  the  impressions  of  an  im- 
partial eyewitness,  and  they  ought  to  be  more 
widely  known.  His  Journal  is  the  work  of  spiritual 
genius,  looking  at  things  in  its  own  clear  light. 
"Few  men,"  says  Mr  Leslie  Stephen,  "have  left 
more  vivid  portraits  of  their  own  personality  than 
that  which  is  embodied  in  Wesley's  Journals," l  and 
it  is  true  to  say  that  his  short  but  fascinating  account 
of  his  Scottish  visits  will  grow  in  interest  with  the 
flight  of  years.  It  is  free  from  sectarian  partisanship, 
and  is  the  work  of  the  greatest  religious  personality 
that  visited  and  preached  in  Scotland  last  century. 
Whitefield  is  a  man  possessed  with  one  overmaster- 
ing conception — the  work  of  an  evangelist ;  he  has 
little  or  nothing  to  say  of  anything  else.  Wesley's 
interest  was  no  less  earnest,  but  it  had  a  very  wide 
horizon,  and  his  Diary  tells  of  many  things  beyond  the 

whose  diverse  ways  of  looking  at  the  world  they  live  in  make  a 
curious  study.  I  wish  some  one  would  write  a  good  paper  on 
this  subject." — Letters  of  Edward  Fitzgerald  to  Fanny  Kemble, 
p.  29. 

1  History  of  English  Thought  in  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
vol.  ii.  p.  410. 


WESLEY'S   PREACHING.  Ill 

history  of  Methodism  on  Scottish  soil.  Whitefield 
formed  no  organisation  in  Scotland,  but  his  preach- 
ing was  an  inspiring  force  within  the  Church. 
Wesley,  on  the  other  hand,  did  not  affect  Scot- 
land to  nearly  the  same  extent  by  his  preaching, 
which  was  of  a  different  order  from  that  of  White- 
field.  It  had  nothing  rhetorical  or  dramatic  about 
it ;  it  had  no  melting  pathos,  but  was  strong, 
calm,  deliberative,  full  of  conviction  logically  ex- 
pressed.1 Wesley's  preaching  has  been  compared 
to  a  strong,  steady,  all-pervading  current;  White- 
field's  to  a  rushing  and  resistless  wind  ; 2  and  White- 
field's  pulpit  power  affected  Scotland  in  a  way  that 
Wesley's  did  not.  In  Wesley's,  light  was  the  out- 
standing feature  ;  in  Whitefield's,  heat ;  and,  as  was 
to  be  expected  from  his  Calvinism,  Whitefield  was 
more  successful  than  Wesley,  for  his  teaching  was 
more  akin  to  the  theological  temper  of  the  country 
during  the  eighteenth  century.  Yet  it  cannot  be 
overlooked,  and  it  is  to  the  credit  of  the  country, 
that  during  the  long  period  when  Wesley  received 
opposition  of  the  most  discreditable  kind  in  England 
and  Ireland  and  Wales,  he  was  everywhere  received 
in  Scotland  with  a  dignity  and  a  courtesy  which 
were  due  to  him  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  scholar, 
and  teacher.  He  was  received  always  with  respect, 
and  his  reception  speaks  much  for  the  civilisation 
of  the  people,  as  well  as  for  their  spiritual  percep- 

1  StouL'hton's  History  of  Religion  in  England,  vol.  vi.  p.  289. 
*-  Tyerrnan's  Oxford  Methodists,  \  , 


112      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

tion.  Methodism  did  not  take  deep  root  in  Scot- 
land, as  far  as  extent  was  concerned,  in  the  eigh- 
teenth century;  but  this  was  chiefly  due  to  theo- 
logical differences,  to  the  severe  reticence  and 
aversion  of  the  people  to  emotion  in  religious 
matters,  and  to  their  attachment,  both  hereditary 
and  acquired,  to  Presbytery  as  the  embodiment  of 
their  religious  struggles,  and  as  the  expression  of 
their  national  faith. 

The  sense  of  nationality  [says  Dr  Stark],  strengthened 
by  the  long  and  bitter  struggles  which  they  had  long 
ago  to  make  for  its  maintenance,  tended  to  lead  the 
Scottish  people  to  look  askance  at  anything  which  had 
the  brand  of  the  other  side  of  the  Border,  and  was 
different  from  their  own  chosen  and  beloved  Pres- 
byterianism.1 

In  Scotland  [says  Mr  Lecky]  the  Methodist  move- 
ment was  much  less  important  than  in  other  parts 
of  the  island.  It  had  not  there  to  dispel  the  same 
ignorance  or  the  same  apathy,  and  it  found  a  people 
accustomed  to  a  higher  standard  of  dogmatic  preaching 
than  in  England.2 

It  is  a  curious  instance  [says  Mr  Overton]  of  the  pre- 
dominance of  temperament  over  training  that  Wesley 
was  more  successful  in  Ireland  than  he  was  in  Scotland. 
According  to  the  principles  of  the  majority  of  the  Irish, 
Wesley  was  a  pestilent  heretic  ;  according  to  those  of 
the  Scotch,  a  true  evangelist.  But  in  Ireland  feeling 
ruled  over  intellect,  in  Scotland  intellect  ruled  over 
feeling.     Of  all  things,  John  Wesley  disliked  contro- 


1  The  Lights  of  the  North,  p.  246. 

2  History  of  the  Eighteenth  Century,  vol.  ii.  p.  606. 


PECULIARITIES   OF   SCOTTISH   SITUATION.      113 

versy  ;  and  if  the  Scotch  were  not  controversial,  they 
were  nothing.1 

A  prominent  Wesleyan  historian,  Dr  Stevens, 
says : — 

In  no  part  of  Europe  had  the  Reformation  more 
thoroughly  wrought  its  work  among  the  common  people. 
An  intelligent,  frugal,  and  religious  population,  they 
needed  less  than  any  other  the  provocations  of  zeal 
which  are  usually  furnished  by  new  sects.  Wesley 
marvelled  at  their  insusceptibility  to  Methodism ; 
but  Methodism  at  this  time  was  more  important  as  a 
general  moral  movement,  pervading  the  whole  Churches, 
and  the  whole  public  mind,  than  as  a  sectarian  develop- 
ment, more  or  less  organised.  In  the  former  sense  it 
did  a  good  work  in  Scotland.  ...  If  Methodism  re- 
grets its  little  progress  in  Scotland,  it  may  at  least 
console  itself  that  there  is  less  reason  for  this  regret 
than  in  any  other  country  in  the  world.2 

A  Scottish  critic  has  said  by  way  of  explaining 
the  scanty  growth  : — 

Some  of  the  reasons  to  be  alleged  are  subjects  of 
congratulation.  The  religious  condition  of  the  Scots 
in  the  days  of  Wesley  and  Whitefield  was  immeasur- 
ably different  from  that  of  the  masses  of  English 
miners  and  artisans  and  labourers  who  at  first  so 
brutally  mobbed  the  early  Methodist  preachers.  The 
great  Church  of  Scotland  was  also  soon  to  have  its 
own   awakening,  and    to    put   off  its   own    offish*  •■  ' 


i  Life,  p.  114. 

2  The  History  of  the  Religious  Movement  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century  called  Methodism,  vol.  ii.  p.  117. 


114      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

evangelical  enterprise.  Had  these  not  taken  place 
the  mission  of  Methodism  might  have  been  somewhat 
more  needed.1 

Though  Methodism  across  the  Tweed  [says  Mr 
Tyerman]  has  never  had  the  same  success  as  it  had 
in  England,  yet  it  would  be  untrue  to  say  that  its 
efforts  have  been  a  failure.  Besides,  there  have  been 
causes  for  the  difference.  In  England,  Wesley  and  his 
assistants  found  the  masses  ignorant  ;  in  Scotland, 
they  had  to  battle  with  a  partially  enlightened  pre- 
judice. In  England,  the  great  body  of  the  people  were 
without  a  creed  ;  in  Scotland,  the  people  were  priest- 
ridden.  In  England,  the  itinerant  plan  was  not  objected 
to  ;  in  Scotland,  it  has  always  been  a  bugbear.2 

If  Wesley  failed  in  forming  a  great  number  of 
societies  north  of  the  Tweed,  it  is  to  be  recalled 
that  the  Scottish  Reformers  did  not  produce  a 
permanent  organisation  on  the  same  lines.  The 
similarity  between  their  creed  and  polity  and 
Wesley's  is  very  striking.  Their  superintendents 
with  dioceses  corresponded  with  Wesley's  super- 
intendents and  circuits ;  their  insistence  on  justifi- 
cation by  faith,  personal  religion,  and  the  sacra- 
ments as  means  of  grace,  was  identical  with  Wesley's 
views ;  their  meetings  for  "  prophesying "  corres- 
ponded with  Wesley's  class-meetings ;  many  of  their 
churches  were  served  by  itinerants,  as  Wesley's  were, 
but  it  was  only  the  stress  of  circumstances  that 
required  it,  and,  adopted  as  a  temporary  expedient, 

1  Wesley  Centenary  in  Scotsman,  March  2,  1891. 

2  Life  and  Times  of  John  Wesley,  vol.  ii.  p.  119. 


SCOTTISH   REFORMERS.  115 

itinerancy  was  within  thirty  years  given  up,  and  a 
Battled  pastorate  for  every  parish  adopted.  Wesley, 
on  the  other  hand,  would  not  adapt  his  movement 
to  the  Scottish  demand  for  a  settled  ministry  as 
the  Scottish  Reformers  had  ultimately  to  do,  and 
willingly  did.  Xow,  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
that  what  Wesley  retained  the  Scottish  Reformers 
surrendered — viz.,  the  meetings  for  prophesying, 
corresponding  to  the  class-meeting,  and  the  itinerant 
ministry.  The  first  does  not  seem  to  have  been 
adapted  to  the  religious  reticence  of  the  Scottish 
people,  and  passed  into  a  more  formal  meeting  "  in 
which  the  minister  gradually  assumed  the  lead,  if 
he  did  not  indeed  monopolise  the  whole  function  "j1 
the  latter  could  not  take  the  place  of  an  ordained, 
settled  pastorate  in  each  parish.  Probably  this, 
with  the  previous  statements,  may  explain  the  com- 
paratively small  number  of  the  Methodist  societies 
in  Scotland,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  were 
promoted  by  such  a  spiritual  splendour  as  John 
lley,  who  appealed  to  the  Scottish  love  of  good- 
ness by  his  apostolic  life  Wesley  did  not  succeed 
where  the  Scottish  Reformers  failed,2  but,  unlike 
them,  he  did  not  meet  Scottish  needs  far  enough. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  impossible  to  read 
:'s  'History  of  the  Reformation  in  Scotland,1 
and   not   to   see    that,  apart  from   the  mere   visible 

1  Principal  Story's  A  :.i>try  in  the  Scottish  Church, 

p.  259. 

-  5  \uo.v,  vol.  ii.  pp.  6,  7. 


116      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

historical  forces  that  brought  the  Eef ormation  about, 
the  real  pervasive  work  among  the  people  was  to  a 
considerable  extent  effected  by  means  of  religious 
societies.  Knox,  being  a  prominent  agent  in  the 
drama,  is  of  course  explicit  in  his  emphasis  of  the 
greater  events;  but  he  tells  us  enough  to  justify 
the  position  that  there  were  numerous  religious 
societies  throughout  the  country,  and  that  in  the 
quickening  they  imparted,  and  the  interest  they 
aroused,  the  Eeformation  found  a  strong  ally. 
The  Lollards  disseminated  their  reformed  faith 
in  the  fifteenth  century  by  societies  chiefly  in 
Kyle;  and  in  the  sixteenth  century,  prior  chiefly, 
but  also  subsequent  to  1560,  these  societies  had 
a  wider  scope.  In  the  reading  of  Knox's  narrative 
the  references  are  apt  to  be  overlooked,  but  they 
are  filled  with  interest.  Here  are  specimens  of  them. 
Of  1538  Knox  writes  :— 

This  thaire  tyranny  notwithstanding,  the  knowledge 
of  God  did  wonderouslie  increase  within  this  realme, 
partlie  by  reading,  partlie  by  brotherlye  conference, 
which  in  those  dangerouse  dayis  was  used  to  the  com- 
forte  of  many.1 

In  1558  he  writes  : — 

The  brethrein  assembled  thameselfis  in  such  sorte, 
in  companies  synging  psalmes,  and  praising  God,  that 
the  proudast  of  the  ennemies  war  astonied.2 

The  young  Eeformed  Church  was  served  by  the 
friends  of  the  Eeformation,  who  were  all  laymen, 
i  Knox's  Works,  vol.  i.  p.  61.  2  Ibid.,  p.  261. 


EARLY   SCOTTISH   REFORMATION   SOCIETIES.      117 

with  the  exception  of  Bobert  Hamilton,1  who  after- 
wards became  minister  of  St  Andrews.  In  1558 
Knox  narrates  regarding  the  spiritual  earnestness  of 
the  movement,  that  it  was  concluded — 

That  the  Brethren  in  everie  toune  at  certane  tymes 
should  assemble  togidder,  to  Commoun  Prayeris,  to 
Exercise  and  Reading  of  the  Scripturis,  till  it  should 
please  God  to  give  the  sermone  of  Exhortatioun  to 
some,  for  comforte  and  instructioun  of  the  rest.  .  .  . 
And  for  that  purpose,  by  commoun  electioun,  war 
eldaris  appointed,  to  whome  the  hole  brethren  pro- 
missed  obedience  ;  for  at  that  tyme  we  had  na  pub- 
lict  ministeris  of  the  Worde  :  onlie  did  certane  zelous 
men  (amonges  whome  war  the  Lard  of  Dun,  David 
Forress,  Maister  Robert  Lokharte,  Maister  Robert 
Hammylton,  Williame  Harlay,  and  otheris)  exhorte 
thare  brethrein  according  to  the  giftes  and  graces 
granted  unto  thame.2 

Again  of  1558  he  narrates  : — 

It  is  thought  necessare  that  doctrin,  preacheing, 
and  interpretatioun  of  Scriptures,  be  had  and  used 
privatlie  in  qwyet  houssis,  without  great  conventions 
of  the  people  tharto,  whill  afterward  that  God  move 
the  Prince  to  grant  preacheing  be  faithfull  and  trew 
ministeris.3 

These  instances  from  among  many  are  sufficient 
.  >ve   the   power  which   the   religious   soci 
and    the    lay   preachers    exercised  in  the   Scottish 
Reformation  ;  and  although  the  office  of  the  elder- 

l  Knox's  Works,  vol.  i.  p.  300,  note. 

«  Ibid.,  pp.  299.  8  [bid.,  pp.  275,  276. 


118      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN  SCOTLAND. 

ship  had  a  more  primitive  source,  it  was  an  early 
institution  in  the  Scottish  Reformed  Church,  and 
became  an  official  recognition  of  a  class  that  had 
even  done  more  than  the  clergy  (as  a  body)  to 
bring  the  Reformation  about.  In  Scotland  it  was 
pre-eminently  a  lay  movement,  and  it  is  chiefly 
because  Presbytery  from  the  first  in  Scotland  recog- 
nised the  lay  element  in  its  government,  rested 
upon  the  people  for  its  support,  and  was  always 
in  the  line  of  their  liberties,  that  it  has  ever  since 
been  the  ecclesiastical  polity  of  the  majority  in  the 
country,  and  has  been  the  form  in  which  any  strong 
secession  from  the  Establishment  expressed  itself. 
It  is  interesting,  however,  to  observe  this  as  another 
similarity  between  Presbytery  in  Scotland  and  Meth- 
odism in  England,  that  both  did  their  constructive 
work  in  religion  by  means  of  the  religious  societies  ; 
both  rested  their  claims  finally  upon  the  religious 
instincts  of  the  people,  and  both  equally  rested  in 
their  implicit  trust  on  the  universal  priesthood  of 
Christian  believers.  These  religious  societies  were 
also  strong  in  Scotland  during  the  Covenanting 
period,  so  that  it  seems  historically  true  to  say 
that,  besides  other  elements  in  common,  the  Scot- 
tish Church  had  anticipated  and  to  a  considerable 
extent  embodied  John  Wesley's  unique  work  in 
England.  This,  with  the  theological  differences  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  may  be  the  chief  immobilis 
inertia  that  retarded  the  progress  of  Methodism 
in  the  period. 


SCOTLAND   IX   THE   EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY.     119 

There  was  another.  Scotland  had  not  the  large 
town  centres  of  population  that  England  during  the 
same  period  had,  and  it  was  among  the  large  popu- 
lations in  England,  as  has  already  been  indicated, 
that  Methodism  did  its  greatest  work.  After  the 
Rebellion  of  1745  in  Scotland  had  passed  away,  a 
period  of  national  torpor  in  religion  and  politics 
had  begun :  Moderatism  was  a  sign  of  the  age, 
and  was  an  expression  of  its  spirit.  A  reaction 
had  set  in  after  the  prolonged  national  struggles, 
too,  of  the  Covenanting  periods,  and  their  objects 
being  attained,  men  somewhat  felt  at  rest.  The 
nation  was  in  a  chrysalis  stage ;  was  chiefly  agri- 
cultural, very  little  industrial :  commercial  enter- 
prise was  only  beginning  to  look  around  for  channels 
through  which  its  energy  might  flow.  There  were 
not  the  congested  populations  as  in  England ;  the 
burghs  generally  were  attached  to  the  Church  of 
Scotland,  and  the  country  parishes  had  the  efficient 
system  of  school  education  fostered  by  the  Church, 
and  an  equally  efficient  pastoral  oversight,  known 
last  century  as  the  "ministerial  catechising,"  which 
if  impossible  to  be  realised  in  the  towns  and  burghs, 
was  realised  in  the  country  parishes.  This  kept  a 
popular  Church  in  touch  with  the  people  :  if  the 
Church  had  not  been  afflicted  with  patronage,  it 
would  have  had  a  far  greater  expansion  from  with- 
in ;  but,  as  it  was,  the  Church  was  in  touch  with 
the  people,  and  so,  neither  from  the  point  of  view 
of  population  nor  of  inefficient  pastoral  work,  wu 


120      WESLEY  AND  WHITEFIELD   IN  SCOTLAND. 

a  great  occasion  offered  to  John  Wesley  in  the 
eighteenth  century.  "Non-resident  pastors"  were 
unknown  in  Scotland,  and  ecclesiastical  abuses  were 
prevented  by  its  Church  courts.  Dissatisfied  Pres- 
byterians found  refuge  in  the  Scottish  Secession, 
headed  by  the  Erskines  and  their  friends  ;  the  sense 
of  nationality,  too,  was  strong,  and  was  not  favourable 
to  influences  from  the  Church  of  England.  Wider 
catholicity  prevails  now,  but  it  did  not  then,  and 
influences  from  England  were  jealously  and  suspici- 
ously watched.  Such  were  the  circumstances  amid 
which  Wesley  came  to  Scotland  in  1751,  ten  years 
after  Whitefield's  first  visit ;  his  great  work  in 
England  had  been  warmly  appreciated  by  many 
of  the  Scottish  clergy  as  early  as  1745,1  and  along 
with  Whitefield  he  had  published  in  1738,  with 
a  preface,  the  Autobiography  of  Thomas  Haly- 
burton,  Professor  of  Divinity  at  St  Andrews,2  a 
book  widely  circulated  and  well  known  last 
century. 

Wesley  was  thus  well  known  in  Scotland  before 
1751,  and  well  might  it  be  so,  for  he  had  been  en- 
gaged for  thirteen  years  with  his  work  in  England, 
Wales,  and  Ireland.  His  object  in  coming  to  Scot- 
land was,  in  the  words  of  a  Wesleyan  historian,  "  to 
make  a  stand  against  the  overflowing  of  Arianism 
and  Socinianism  in  that  kingdom."3     In  the  words 

1  Moore's  Life  of  Wesley,  vol.  i.  pp.  92-95. 

2  Jackson's  Library  of  Christian  Biography,  vol.  i. 

3  Myles'  Chronological  History  of  the  People  called  Method- 
ists, p.  65, 


WESLEY  OPPOSES   ARIANISM.  121 

of  another :  "  Wesley,  accompanied  by  Christopher 
Hopper,  one  of  the  first  preachers,  crossed  the  Border 
and  introduced  Methodism  into  Scotland  ;  a  measure 
to  which  he  appears  to  have  been  specially  urged  by 
the  abounding  of  Arianism  and  Socinianism  in  that 
country."  1  Such  views  were  considered  prevalent 
within  the  Church,  and  some  holding  high  places 
were  regarded  as  imbued  with  the  scepticism  of 
Hume.2  Wesley's  mission  in  Scotland,  as  else- 
where, was  the  elevation  of  Christian  living,  and 
he  resolved  to  enter  into  no  controversy — if  such 
could  be  avoided  in  Scotland. 

Charles  Wesley  thought  that  Scotland  afforded 
no  scope  for  Methodist  work  at  the  period,  and 
"Whitefield  said  to  John  Wesley : — 

Fou  have  no  business  there,  for  your  principles  are 
so  well  known  that  if  you  spoke  like  an  angel,  none 
would  hear  you  ;  and  if  they  did,  you  would  have  no- 
thing to  do  but  to  dispute  with  one  and  another  from 
morning  to  night. 

dey  replied  : — 

If  God  sends  me,  people  will  hear.  And  I  will  give 
them  no  provocation  to  dispute;  for  I  will  studiously 
;i\-oid  controverted  points,  and  keep  to  the  funda- 
mental truths  of  Christianity  ;  and  if  any  still  begin  to 
dispute,  they  may,  but  I  will  not  dispute  with  them.3 


1  Smith's  History  of  We-l-yan  Methodism,  vol.  ii.  p.  71. 
-  Dr  Lindsay  Alexander's  Life  of  Dr  Wardl&w,  p.  43. 
3  Southey's  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  248. 


122      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

First  Visit  to  Scotland,  1751. 

His  visit  was  made  in  accordance  with  the  wish 
of  Captain  (afterwards  Colonel)  Gallatin,  who  was 
then  quartered  at  Musselburgh.  Wesley,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  his  preachers,  arrived  at  Mussel- 
burgh on  April  24,  1751.  On  his  journey  he  was 
impressed  by  the  "  air  of  antiquity  "  and  "  oddness  " 
about  the  Scottish  towns ;  arriving  at  Musselburgh, 
curiosity  brought  abundance  of  people  together,  who 
gave  him  a  respectful  hearing  and  "remained  as 
statues  from  the  beginning  of  the  sermon  to  the 
end."1  The  following  day  he  rode  to  Edinburgh, 
which  at  that  day  appeared  to  him  "  as  one  of 
the  dirtiest  cities  he  had  ever  seen,"  Cologne 
not  excepted.  He  returned  to  Musselburgh  and 
preached  at  six  o'clock.  All  received  his  words  in 
love ;  prejudice  was  swept  away ;  he  was  invited 
to  stay  for  some  time,  and  a  preaching-place  would 
be  prepared  for  him.  He  would  gladly  have  com- 
plied, but  engagements  in  the  South  prevented,  and 
he  left  on  the  26th.  He  consented  to  send  them 
Mr  Hopper  the  next  week,  who  returned  and  for  a 
fortnight  preached  morning  and  evening  at  Mussel- 
burgh, and  thus  Methodism  planted  its  first  society 
on  Scottish  soil.  Wesley  was  impressed  with  the 
freeness  and  openness  of  the  people,  who  raised  not 
dispute  of  any  kind,  nor  asked  any  questions 
concerning  his  opinions.2     A  little  party  of  gentle- 

i  Appendix,  p.  230.  2  Ibid. 


SECOND   SCOTTISH  VISIT.  123 

men  from  Edinburgh  attended  his  second  service  at 
Musselburgh,  and  Scotland  was  henceforth  included 
in  his  journeys. 

Second  Visit,  1753. 

Riding  through  Dumfries  (where  he  admired 
two  elegant  churches),  Thornhill,  Leadhills,  Les- 
mahagow,  he  arrived  at  Glasgow  on  April  17,  1753, 
and  was  the  guest  of  the  Rev.  Dr  Gillies  of  the 
College  Church,  by  whose  invitation  he  had  come. 
Dr  Gillies  was  a  man  of  wide  catholicity  and' 
toleration  :  he  was  the  lifelong  friend  of  Whitefield 
and  wrote  his  life  :  to  AVesley  he  was  a  kind  of 
Scottish  Fletcher  of  Madeley.  As  he  took  an 
important  position  in  the  Scottish  evangelical  re- 
vival last  century,  a  short  account  of  his  life  here 
may  be  interesting. 

John  Gillies,  D.D.  (1712-1796).  He  was  born 
in  1712  at  the  manse  of  Careston,  near  Brechin, 
where  his  father  was  parish  minister,  and  after 
prosecuting  his  literary  and  divinity  courses,  and 
being  engaged  as  tutor  in  several  Scottish  families, 
was  ordained  minister  of  the  College  Church,  Glas- 
gow, July  29,  1742.  This  charge  he  served  for 
fifty-four  It    is    said   of   him   that   besides 

preaching  three  times  every  Sunday,  he  Lectured 
in  Ins  church  three  times  each  week  to  crowded 
audiences,  and  published  for  some  time  a  weekly 
paper,  as  well  as  regularly  visited   and  catechised 


124      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

his  parish.1  Dr  Gillies  is  still  known  for  a  work 
entitled  '  Historical  Collections  relating  to  the 
Success  of  the  Gospel,'  2  vols.,  Glasgow,  1754; 
an  Appendix  was  added  in  1761,  and  a  Supple- 
ment in  1786.  Another  work  was,  'Devotional 
Exercises  on  the  New  Testament,'  published  in 
1769.  He  also  published  'Exhortations  to  the 
Inhabitants  of  the  South  Parish  of  Glasgow,'  2 
vols.,  1750;  'Life  of  the  Eev.  Mr  George  White- 
field,'  1772  ;  'Essays  on  the  Prophecies  relating  to 
the  Messiah,'  1773  ;  'Hebrew  Manual  for  the  use  of 
"Students';  'Psalms  of  David  with  Notes,'  1786; 
'  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost "  illustrated  by  Texts  of 
Scripture,'  1778;  "Life  of  John  Maclaurin"  for 
Maclaurin's  'Sermons  and  Essays,'  1755.2  Dr 
Gillies  was  distinguished  as  a  hard  worker  in  his 
parish,  and  as  a  student  in  the  field  of  literature  ; 
but  in  the  eighteenth  century  he  anticipated  much 
of  the  catholic  spirit  and  toleration  of  the  late  Dean 
Stanley,  and  recognised  charity  as  the  genial  at- 
mosphere that  best  nourishes  the  religious  life,  and 
recognises  inward  resemblances  beyond  outward  di- 
vergences. Dr  John  Erskine  wrote  of  him  in  1796  : 
"  Dr  Gillies  saw  and  approved  what  was  excellent 
in  men,  whose  sentiments  in  politics,  and  even  in 
religious  matters  less  essential,  greatly  differed  from 
his.     Strict  in  examining  his  own  heart  and  life, 

1  Account  by  Dr  John  Erskine,  Edinburgh,  p.  86. 

2  Stephen's  and  Lee's   Dictionary  of  National  Biography, 
vol.  xxi.  pp.  367,  368. 


REV.   DR    GILLIES    OF    GLASGOW.  125 

he  viewed  with  candour  the  conduct  of  others."  l 
We  have  already  seen  that  Dr  Gillies  was  an  ally 
of  Whitefield,  and  in  1753  he  was  the  means  of 
bringing  John  Wesley  to  Glasgow.  Wesley  was  a 
guest  at  his  house  for  a  week,  and  during  his  stay 
ed  in  the  most  important  of  Dr  Gillies'  books — 
the  '  Historical  Collections.'  In  vol.  ii.  (pp.  55-106) 
will  be  found  extracts  from  Mr  Wesley's  'Journal,' 
and  (pp.  106-136)  extracts  from  Mr  Whitefield's  ; 
throughout  vol.  i.,  on  the  other  hand,  will  be  found 
extracts  from  books  published  in  Wesley's  Christian 
Library,  so  that  his  help  in  this  important  work  was 
very  considerable. 

Wesley  preached  at  the  prison  and  also  in  the 
open  air ;  but  it  is  interesting  to  observe  that,  at  a 
time  when  the  churches  in  England  were  closed  to 
him,  he  was  invited  to  preach  in  the  College  Church 
of  Glasgow  :  he  accepted  the  invitation,  and  did  so 
several  times.  "Who  would  have  believed  five- 
anl-twenty  years  ago,  either  that  the  minister  would 
have  desired  it,  or  that  I  should  have  consented  to 
preach  in  a  Scotch  kirk  ] "  -  Many  of  the  students 
were  among  his  hearers,  and  he  was  impressed  with 
the  reverence  of  the  large  congregations. 

The  behaviour  of  the  i>eople  at  church,  both  morning 

and  aftero  od  anything  I  ever  saw,  but 

Qgregations.     None  bowed  or  curtsied  to  each 


1  Supplement  to  Historical  Collections, 


126      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

other  either  before  or  after  the  service ;  from  the 
beginning'to  the  end  of  which  none  talked,  or  looked 
at  any  but  the  minister.  Surely  much  of  the  power  of 
godliness  was  here,  when  there  is  so  much  of  the  form 
still1 

There  were  no  adversaries  but  a  "  poor  seceder,"  and 
the  people  of  Glasgow  gave  Wesley  a  warm  welcome. 
Wesley  evidently  was  the  means  of  introducing 
hymns,  which  in  those  days  were  not  generally 
acceptable  to  the  Scottish  congregations.  "  After 
the  sermon  Mr  Gillies  concluded  with  the  blessing. 
He  then  gave  out,  one  after  another,  four  hymns, 
which  about  a  dozen  young  men  sung.  He  had 
before  desired  those  who  were  so  minded  to  go 
away ;  but  scarce  any  stirred  till  all  was  ended. " 2 
As  far  as  evidence  goes,  Wesley  was  a  pioneer  in 
introducing  hymns  into  the  worship  of  a  Scottish 
parish  church ;  during  the  period  of  Wesley's  visits 
the  authorised  publications  were  the  metrical  Psalms 
(still  in  use)  with  the  Paraphrases  added  in  1745.3 

1  Appendix,  p.  233.  2  Appendix,  p.  232. 

3  "In  1564,"  says  Mr  Prescott,  "  two  years  after  the  publica- 
tion of  Sternhold  and  Hopkins'  version,  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Kirk  ordered  the  use  of  the  Psalms  in  metre.  This  was, 
in  the  main,  that  old  version  with  certain  additions.  The 
next  century,  at  the  Revolution,  the  Long  Parliament  recom- 
mended for  the  consideration  of  the  General  Assembly  at 
Edinburgh  the  Psalter  which  had  been  compiled  by  one  of  the 
members  of  the  House  of  Commons,  Francis  Rouse,  as  well  as 
the  Scotch  Psalter  then  in  use.  A  Committee  of  the  Kirk 
Assembly  produced,  in  1649,  on  this  basis,  the  '  Paraphrase  of 
the  Psalms,' which  was  ordered  to  be  used  throughout  Scotland. 
This  was  adopted  on  May  1st,  1650,  and  there  it  is  now.  .  .  . 
In  1745  some '  Paraphrases '  of  other  portions  of  the  Bible  were  ad- 


WESLEY   INTRODUCES   HYMNS.  127 

There  was  throughout  the  period,  and  long  after  it, 
a  rigid  adherence  to  the  metrical  version,  and  any 
attempt  to  introduce  "  human  hymns  "  was  strongly 
opposed.  Soon  after  "Wesley's  departure,  Dr  Gillies, 
in  a  letter  to  him,  wrote  : — 

The  singing  of  hymns  here  meets  with  greater  opposi- 
tion than  I  expected.  Serious  people  are  much  divided. 
Those  of  better  understanding  and  education  are  silent ; 
but  many  others  are  so  prejudiced  that  they  speak 
openly  against  it,  and  look  upon  me  as  doing  a  very 
sinful  thing.  I  beg  your  advice,  whether  to  answer 
them  only  by  continuing  in  the  practice  of  the  thing, 
or  whether  I  should  publish  a  sheet  of  arguments  from 
reason  and  Scripture,  and  the  example  of  the  godly. 
Your  experience  of  dealing  with  people's  prejudice 
makes  your  advice  of  the  greatest  importance.  I  bless 
the  Lord  for  the  benefit  and  comfort  of  your  acquaint- 
ance ;  for  your  important  assistance  in  my  '  Historical 
Collections'  ;  and  for  your  edifying  conversation  and 
sermons  in  Glasgow.1 

Wesley  was  a  strenuous  advocate  of  the  use  of 
hymns  in  public  worship,2  and  he  met  with  strong  pre- 
judice against  them  in  the  Scotland  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  The  '  Church  Hymnary '  contains  twenty- 
two  hymns  of  Charles  Wesley,  and  several  hymn- 
translations  by  John  Wesley.  These  hymns  express 
the  deepest  in  the  religious  life. 

mitted  by  a  Committee  of  the  General  Assembly  into  the  Scotch 
Psalter."— Christian  Hymns  and  Hymn-Writers,  pp.  127,  128. 

1  Whitehead's  life  of  Wesley,  vol.  ii.  p.  273. 

-  Hymns  and  Hvmn-Writers,  by  Rev.  Duncan  Campbell, 
B.D.,  p.  42. 


128      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 


2,  1755. — His  Journal  states  :  Mr  Wardrope, 
minister  of  Bathgate  in  Scotland,  preached  at  the 
Orphan-house  in  the  evening,  to  the  no  small  amaze- 
ment and  displeasure  of  some  of  his  zealous  countrymen." 

Third  Visit,  1757. 

He  rode  through  Dumfries,  Thornhill,1  and 
arrived  at  Glasgow  on  June  1,  1757,  where  he  was 
the  guest  again  of  Dr  Gillies.  He  preached  near 
the  Infirmary  to  a  large  congregation  —  on  other 
occasions  to  several  thousands,  at  such  an  early  hour 
as  seven  in  the  morning.  He  refers  to  the  College 
and  Cathedral,2  and  the  lovely,  fruitful,  cultivated 
plain  as  seen  from  the  Cathedral  spire.  He  was 
busy  in  preaching  and  meeting  the  members  of 
the  religious  societies  :  "  After  preaching  I  met  as 
many  as  desired  it,  of  the  members  of  the  pray- 
ing societies.  I  earnestly  advised  them  to  meet 
Mr  Gillies  every  week ;  and  at  their  own  meetings 
not  to  talk  loosely,  and  in  general  (as  their  manner 
had  been)  on  some  head  of  religion,  but  to  examine 
each  other's  hearts  and  lives."3  He  arrived  at 
Musselburgh  on  the  6th,  and  preached  in  the  poor- 
house  "to  a  large  and  deeply  attentive  congrega- 
tion." Two-thirds  of  the  society  "knew  in  whom 
they  believed " ;  "  the  national  shyness  and  stub- 
bornness were  gone,  and  they  were  as  open  and 
teachable  as  little  children."      Between  forty  and 

1  Appendix,  p.  234.  2  Appendix,  p.  235. 

3  Appendix,  p.  236. 


THIRD    SCOTTISH   VISIT.  129 

fifty  dragoons   were  present.      On   Wednesday  he 
rode  to  Dunbar,   -where  he  found  a  little  society, 
"most  of  them  rejoicing  in  God  their  Saviour."1 
He  preached  also  at  Berwick-on-Tweed  and  Kelso, 
where  he  began  his  service  by  a  Scotch  psalm,  and 
gathered  a  large  congregation.     Engaged  as  he  was 
in  the  "work  of  an  evangelist,  he  did  not  lose  his 
interest  in   literature   on  his  journey,   and   notes : 
"To-day  'Douglas,'  the  play   which   has  made  so 
much  noise,  was  put  into  my  hands.      I  was  aston- 
ished to  find  it  is  one  of  the  finest  tragedies  I  ever 
read.     "What  pity  that  a  few  lines  were   not  left 
out !   and  that  it  was  ever  acted  at  Edinburgh  ! "  2 
On  his  third  visit  he  spent  eleven  days  in  Scotland. 
In  1757  he  published  'A  Sufficient  Answer  to 
"  Letters  to  the  Author  of  Theron  and  Aspasio  "  in 
a   Letter  to    the  Author.'     The    author   to    whom 
AVesley  addressed  his  answer  was  the  Eev.   John 
Glass  or  John  Sandeman,  the  founders  of  a  religious 
sect   called    the    "  Glassites "    or    "  Sandemanians." 
W  -ley's  answer  was  a  defence  of  his  friend  the 
Rev.  James  Hervey  on  the  subject  of  saving  faith, 
in  opposition  to  the  Glassite  or  Sandemanian  theory 
that  faith  is  an  assent  to  the  truthfulness   of   the 
Gospel   history.''     "Pakemon"  is  generally  agreed 
t<»  have  been  Mr  Sandeman.4 

1  Appendix,  p.  236.  -  Appendix,  p.  237. 

1  Tyennan's  Lift.-,  vol.  ii.  p.  293. 

4  A  Defence  of  Theron  and  Aspasio,  by  James  Hervey,  p.  214. 
Benjamin    Ingham,    one    of   the    members    of    the   Oxford 
Society  ami  an  early  friend  of  Wesley's,  became  "the  York- 
I 


130      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 


Fourth  Visit,  1759. 

His  route  was  the  same  as  on  the  former  visits, 
and  he  preached  at  the  same  places.  Dr  Gillies 
was  as  sympathetic  as  ever,  and  consented  to  super- 
intend the  little  divided  society. 

I  found  the  little  society  which  I  had  joined  here 
two  years  since  had  soon  split  into  pieces.  In  the 
afternoon  I  met  several  of  the  members  of  the  praying 
societies,  and  showed  them  what  Christian  fellowship 


shire  Evangelist  "  (Tyerman's  Oxford  Methodists).  In  1759  he 
read  Sandeman's  '  Letters  on  Theron  and  Aspasio '  and  Glass's 
'Testimony  of  the  King  of  Martyrs,'  and  was  impressed  by 
them.  "  He  deputed,"  says  Dr  Stevens,  "  two  of  his  preachers 
to  Scotland  to  learn  more  fully  the  views  of  their  authors.  At 
Edinburgh  they  met  Sandeman,  and  Glass  at  Dundee.  They 
returned  converts  to  the  Sandemanian  principles,  and  immedi- 
ately spread  discontent  and  disputes  among  the  societies. 
Ingham's  authority  could  not  control  the  partisan  violence 
which  soon  broke  out.  He  called  in  the  assistance  of  his 
friends.  The  Countess  of  Huntingdon  wrote  them  letters. 
Whitefield  felt  deeply  for  them,  'wept  and  prayed,'  and  used 
his  influence  to  save  them.  Ingham  attempted  to  excommuni- 
cate the  disturbers,  but  it  was  an  endless  task.  The  whole 
order  was  wrecked  and  sunk.  Thirteen  societies  only  remained 
from  more  than  eighty  which  had  flourished  with  all  the  evi- 
dences of  permanent  prosperity.     .     .     . 

"The  fate  of  Ingham's  societies  is  one  of  the  best  vindica- 
tions of  Wesley's  wisdom  as  an  ecclesiastical  legislator.  The 
dispersion  of  these  societies,  however,  left  some  good  results. 
Many  of  them  were  merged  in  the  Wesleyan  or  dissenting 
bodies,  especially  in  the  class  of  Scotch  Presbyterians  called 
Daleites." — The  History  of  the  Religious  Movement  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century,  vol.  i.  p.  300. 


DR    GILLIES   ASSISTS   WESLEY.  131 

was,  and  what  need  they  had  of  it.  About  forty  of 
them  met  me  on  Sunday  275  in  Mr  Gillies's  kirk,  im- 
mediately after  evening  service.  I  left  them  deter- 
mined to  meet  Mr  Gillies  weekly,  at  the  same  time 
and  place.  If  this  be  done,  I  shall  try  to  see  Glasgow 
again  ;  if  not,  I  can  employ  my  time  better.1 

Dr  Gillies  was  a  beautiful  personality,  who 
transcended  the  narrow  spirit  of  his  age,  and 
invited  Wesley's  help  at  a  time  when  Wesley's 
spiritual  genius  was  not  recognised.  Would  that 
he  had  not  been  such  a  solitary  figure  !  His  was 
the  type  that  the  Church  supremely  needed. 


Fifth  Visit,   1761. 

Wesley  passed  through  Moffat  and  arrived  at 
Edinburgh  on  April  28,  1761.  He  preached  at 
Edinburgh  and  disarmed  prejudice.2  This  was  the 
first  occasion  when  he  crossed  the  Forth  and 
carried  Methodism  into  the  northern  counties.  He 
arrived  at  Aberdeen  and  sent  to  the  Principal  and 
Regent,  desiring  leave  to  preach  in  the  College 
Close.  The  request  was  courteously  met,  and 
as  it  was  raining  he  was  requested  to  take  the 
College  Hall,  and  added  forty  new  members  to 
the  already  existing  by  of  fifty  members.8     As 

hie  wont,  Wesley   attended  the  parish  church 

1  Appendix,  p.  239.  -  Appendix,  p.  240. 

3  Tyerruan,  vol.  ii.  p.  401. 


132      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

on  the  Sunday,  where  he  heard  two  "  useful " 
sermons  by  the  Principal  and  Professor  of  Divinity  : 
a  "huge  multitude  "  afterwards  gathered  together 
in  the  College  Close,  and  received  the  truth  in 
love. 

He  visited  King's  College  on  the  Monday,  which 
he  regarded  "as  not  unlike  Queen's  College, 
Oxford";  he  met  there  a  large  company  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  and  was  requested  to  address  them. 
He  did  so,  and  the  word  "  fell  as  dew  on  the 
tender  grass. " x  In  the  Library  of  Marischal 
College  he  met  the  Principal,  the  Very  Eev.  George 
Campbell,  D.D.,  and  the  Divinity  Professor,  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Gerard,  D.D.,2  who  both  invited 
him  to  their  houses.  A  large  crowd  awaited  his 
preaching  at  the  evening  service  on  the  Monday, 
as  well    as    on    the   following    evening,   when   the 

1  Appendix,  p.  241. 

2  I  am  indebted  for  those  names  to  the  courtesy  of  the  Eev. 
Professor  Cowan,  D.D.,  Aberdeen.  He  describes  the  Principal 
of  the  period  as  "the  illustrious  George  Campbell,"  who  was 
the  author  of  '  Dissertations  on  Miracles,'  in  answer  to  Hume  ; 
'Philosophy  of  Rhetoric' ;  'Lectures  on  Ecclesiastical  History.' 
Alexander  Gerard,  D.D.,  was  the  author  of  the  'Essay  on 
Taste.'  It  is  to  the  glory  of  these  distinguished  men  that  they 
welcomed  Wesley  at  a  time  when  opposition  in  England  was 
bitter  against  him,  and  it  was  probably  due  to  their  influence 
that  he  preached  so  frequently  in  the  College  Church  at 
Aberdeen.  Wesley  says  of  the  Principal:  "I  accepted  the 
Principal's  invitation,  and  spent  an  hour  with  him  at  his  house. 
I  observed  no  stiffness  at  all,  but  the  easy  good  breeding  of  a 
man  of  sense  and  learning."  Of  the  Professor,  "He  invited 
me  to  his  lodgings,  where  I  spent  an  hour  most  agreeably." — 
Appendix,  pp.  241,  242. 


PRINCIPAL   AND   DIVINITY  PROFESSOR.      133 

Principal,  all  the  professors,  and  some  of  the  magis- 
trates were  present.  "I  set  all  the  windows  open, 
but  the  hall,  notwithstanding,  was  as  hot  as  a  bagnio. 
But  this  did  not  hinder  either  the  attention  of  the 
people  or  the  blessing  of  God."1  On  the  Wednes- 
day lie  was  the  guest  of  the  Rev.  Mr  Ogilvie,  one 
of  the  ministers  of  Aberdeen.  "A  more  open-hearted, 
friendly  man  I  know  not  that  I  ever  saw."  Of  the 
clergy  themselves  he  adds,  "  I  have  scarce  seen 
such  a  set  of  ministers  in  any  town  of  Great  Britain 
or  Ireland."2  Verily,  Principal,  professors,  clergy, 
magistrates,  and  people  in  Aberdeen  extended  a 
welcome  worthy  of  their  visitor ! 

Throughout  Wesley's  life  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  —  it  was  his  regular  practice  —  to  preach  at 
5  a.m.  or  7  A.M.  to  his  people,  and  in  these  days  of 
forenoon  and  evening  services,  it  is  interesting  as 
well  as  instructive  to  find  that  his  vigorous  little 
society  at  Aberdeen  had  regular  services  at  the 
following  hours :  every  Sunday  at  7  a.m.  and  6 
p.m.  ;  Tuesdays,  Thursdays,  and  Saturdays  at  5  a.m. 
and  7  p.m.  ;  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Fridays 
they  met  at  G  p.m.  for  private  examination.3  Has 
the  greater  comfort  of  the  present  day  made  us  less 
earnest  in  our  religious  quests  fl  or  has  the  greater 
ami  strain  of  to-day  forced  later  hours  upon 
for  the  assembling  <»f  ourselves  together"? 
Verily   Wesley's   followers   were,  like   theii   great 

1  Appendix,  p.  242.  -  Ibid. 

-     ts  Magazine  for  1763,  p.  421. 


134      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

leader,  in  earnest,   and  the  morning  glow  brought 
fervour  to  their  religious  life. 

Wesley  spent  five  days  at  Aberdeen,  and  into 
them  compressed  a  noble  record  of  work.  He 
then  left  for  Monymusk  on  the  invitation  of  Sir 
Archibald  Grant,  who  was  one  of  his  Aberdeen 
hearers.  Engaged  as  he  was  in  his  apostolic  labours, 
his  eye  was  still  open  to  all  things  around  him,  and 
he  rejoices  in  the  stately  house  of  Monymusk,  with 
its  walks  and  gardens;  the  steep  mountains,  the 
clear  river,  the  lovely  valley ;  he  notices  the  im- 
provement carried  out  by  Sir  Archibald  in  plough- 
ing up  the  waste  ground  and  planting  millions  of 
trees.1  The  following  is  his  reference  to  the  service, 
with  its  hearty  praise,  in  a  Scottish  parish  last 
century,  when  he  preached  : — 

About  six,  went  to  the  church  [at  Monymusk].  It 
was  pretty  well  filled  with  such  persons  as  we  did  not 
look  for,  so  near  the  Highlands.  But  if  we  were  sur- 
prised at  their  appearance,  we  were  much  more  so  at 
their  singing.  Thirty  or  forty  sang  an  anthem  after 
sermon  with  such  voices  as  well  as  judgment  that  I 
doubt  whether  they  could  have  been  excelled  at  any 
cathedral  in  England.2 


1  Appendix,  p.  242.  "  He  is  said  to  have  planted  about 
48,000,000  trees  on  the  property  ;  ...  he  was  the  first  to 
engage  in  those  agricultural  improvements  that  may  be  said  to 
have  almost  changed  the  face  of  the  North  of  Scotland." — 
Church  and  Priory  of  Monymusk,  by  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Macpher- 
son,  B.D.,  pp.  275,  277. 

2  Appendix,  p.  242. 


v 


AT   EDINBURGH.  135 

He  reached  Edinburgh  on  9th  May,  and,  although 
tired,  "would  not  disappoint  the  congregation," 
and  "  God  gave  me  strength  according  to  my  day." 
On  the  Saturday  evening  and  the  Sunday  he 
preached  three  times  "  even  to  the  rich  and  honour- 
able," and  "  I  bear  them  witness,  they  will  endure 
plain  dealing,  whether  they  profit  by  it  or  not." 

He  admired  lovely  Edinburgh  and  Princes  Street 
— "  far  before  any  in  Great  Britain  " — although  he 
has  words  of  criticism  on  the  civic  authorities  of 
1761.1  His  remarks  on  Holy  rood  Palace  and 
Queen  Mary  will  also  be  read  with  interest.2  After 
preaching  at  Musselburgh,  Haddington,  North 
Berwick,  Dunbar,  and  Berwick-on-Tweed,  he  re- 
turned to  his  great  work  in  the  South.  Wesley 
was  "one  of  the  unresting,  unhasting  men,"  who 
embodied  in  his  life  the  gospel  of  work,3  and  was 
too  busy  to  fret. 

"  I  hear  a  voice  you  cannot  hear, 
Which  says  I  must  not  stay  ; 
I  see  a  hand  you  cannot  see, 
Which  l>eckons  me  away." 


i  Appendix,  \>.  243.  -'  Ibid. 

3  Of  John  Wesley,  Johnson  said  :  "  He  can  talk  well  on  any 

subject."    "John  Wesley's  conversation  is  good,  but  hi?  is  never 

ire.     He  is  always  obliged  to  go  at  a  certain  hour.     This 

greeable  to  a  man  who  loves  to  fold  his  legs,  and 

have  out  his  talk,  as  I  do." — Boswell'fl  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson, 

vol.  i.  pp.  :;:j:5,  261. 


136      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 


Sixth  Visit,  1763. 

As  on  the  former  occasion,  he  did  not  visit 
Glasgow,  but  went  direct  to  Edinburgh,  where  he 
preached,  and  thence  through  Forfar  to  Aberdeen, 
which  extended  another  warm  welcome. 

Surely  never  was  there  a  more  open  door.  The  four 
ministers  of  Aberdeen,  the  minister  of  the  adjoining 
town,  and  the  three  ministers  of  Old  Aberdeen,  hith- 
erto seem  to  have  no  dislike,  but  rather  to  "  wish  us 
good  luck  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  Most  of  the 
town's  people  as  yet  wish  us  well,  so  that  there  is 
no  opposition  of  any  kind.  0  what  spirit  ought  a 
preacher  to  be  of,  that  he  may  be  able  to  bear  all  this 
sunshine  ! 

He  preached  in  the  College  Close  to  "  a  multitude 
of  people,"  and  again  in  the  College  Hall.  "  What 
an  amazing  willingness  to  hear  runs  through  this 
whole  kingdom." 

His  visit  was  brief,  and  he  soon  returned  to 
Edinburgh. 

Sunday,  May  29. — I  preached  at  seven  in  the  High 
School  Yard  at  Edinburgh.  It  being  the  time  of  the 
General  Assembly,  which  drew  together  not  the  minis- 
ters only,  but  abundance  of  the  nobility  and  gentry, 
many  of  both  sorts  were  present ;  but  abundantly 
more  at  five  in  the  afternoon.  I  spake  as  plain  as  ever 
I  did  in  my  life  ;  but  I  never  knew  any  in  Scotland 
offended  at  plain-dealing.  In  this  respect  the  North 
Britons  are  a  pattern  to  all  mankind.1 


Appendix,  p.  245. 


SEVENTH  VISIT.  137 

He  rode  thence  to  Dunbar,  where  he  is  per- 
suaded "  much  good  will  be  done,  if  we  have  zeal 
and  patience." 

Seventh  Visit,  1764. 

Arriving  at  Dunbar  on  May  24th,  1764,  Wesley 
preached  there  and  at  Haddington,  the  Calton 
Hill  and  High  School  Yard  of  Edinburgh.  He 
gives  his  impressions  of  the  General  Assembly  in 
1 764. l  He  travelled  northwards  to  Dundee,  "  where 
poor  and  rich  attended "  his  sermon  ;  "  but  the 
misfortune  is,  they  know  everything,  so  they  learn 
nothing."  At  Brechin  he  is  interested  in  a  strange 
disorder,  and  possessing,  as  he  did,  a  strong  sense  of 
the  supernatural,  cannot  account  for  it  on  purely 
natural  grounds.2  At  Aberdeen  he  preached  in  the 
College  Close,  and  on  the  Sunday  for  the  first  time 
in  the  College  Kirk  to  a  crowded  audience ;  again 
in  the  evening  at  the  College  Close.  At  Monymusk 
he  preached  in  the  parish  church,  where  the  church 
was  pretty  well  filled,  though  upon  short  notice — 
"  Certainly  this  is  a  nation  swift  to  hear  and  slow 
to  speak,"  though  not  "slow  to  wrath."'5  At  Old 
Meldram,  twelve  miles  distant  from  the  city,  many 
from  Aberdeen  attended.  At  Inverness  he  preached 
in  the  High  Church,  which  was  filled,  and  the 
parish  ministers  showed  "most   cordial    affection; 

i  Appendix,  p.  24G.  -  Appendix,  pp.  247,  248. 

■  Appendix,  p.  2 


138      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

were  it  only  for  this  day,  I  should  not  have  re- 
gretted the  riding  a  hundred  miles."1  He  was 
invited  to  preach  in  a  neighbouring  parish,  but  a 
near  engagement  only  permitted  him  to  preach  in 
the  High  Church  of  Inverness. 

I  think  the  church  was  fuller  now  than  before  ;  and 
I  could  not  but  observe  the  remarkable  behaviour  of 
the  whole  congregation  after  service.  Neither  man, 
woman,  nor  child  spake  one  word  all  the  way  down 
the  main  street ;  indeed  the  seriousness  of  the  people 
is  less  surprising  when  it  is  considered  that  for  at  least 
a  hundred  years  this  town  has  had  such  a  succession 
of  pious  ministers  as  very  few  in  Great  Britain  have 
known.2 

His  northern  journey  was  a  triumphal  march. 
At  Nairn  the  parish  kirk  bell  was  rung  and  a  large 
congregation  assembled,  and  here  again  the  Scottish 
congregation  impressed  him.  "  0  what  a  difference 
is  there  between  South  and  North  Britain  !  Every 
one  here  at  least  loves  to  hear  the  Word  of  God ; 
and  none  takes  it  into  his  head  to  speak  one  un- 
civil word  to  any  for  endeavouring  to  save  their 
souls."3  He  visited  Forres,  Elgin,  Strathbogie, 
"where  the  whole  family  at  our  inn,  eleven  or 
twelve  in  number,  gladly  joined  with  us  in  prayer 
at  night :  indeed  so  they  did  at  every  inn  where 
we  lodged ;  for  among  all  the  sins  they  have  im- 
ported from  the  English,  the   Scots  have  not  yet 

i  Appendix,  p.  250.  2  Ibid. 

3  Appendix,  p.  251. 


LADY   MAXWELL   OF   POLLOK.  139 

learned,  at  least  not  the  common  people,  to  scoff  at 
sacred  things."  He  returned  from  Aberdeen,  where 
he  preached  twice,  through  Dundee  to  Edinburgh, 
where  after  preaching,  as  was  always  his  custom, 
at  non-canonical  hours,  he  attended  Holy  Commun- 
ion at  St  Cuthbert's  Parish  Church,  Edinburgh  ;  of 
the  service  he  gives  a  narrative  which  will  be  read 
with  interest.1 

Wesley's  seventh  visit  to  Scotland  was  a  record 
of  hard  work,  and  of  favourable  receptions  from 
all  classes  in  the  country.  In  Edinburgh,  how- 
ever, there  was  a  Scottish  lady  who  joined  his 
society,  and  who  afterwards  became  one  of  his 
strongest  Scottish  supporters  and  a  lifelong  friend 
—  Lady  Maxwell.2  D'Arcy  Brisbane,  youngest 
daughter  of  Thomas  Brisbane,  Esq.  of  Brisbane, 
Largs,  married  Sir  Walter  Maxwell,  fourth  Baronet 
of  Pollok  and  son  of  John  Maxwell  of  Blanarthill, 
who  on  the  death  of  John  Maxwell  of  Pollok 
succeeded  to  his  honours  and  estate.  In  little 
more  than  two  years  after  her  marriage  she  lost 
hei  husband  by  death,  and  her  only  child  six 
weeks    after ;    she   was    left  a   widow  at   nineteen 

1  Appendix,  j > j > .  252, 

-  For  biographies  of  Lady  Maxwell,  see  Sir  William  Fraser's 
Maxwells  of  Pollok,  vol.  i.  pp.  412-117.  A  Christian  Sketch 
I,  by  Robert  Bourne  (1819).  Life  by  Rev. 
John  Lancaster,  2  vols.  1822.  —  New  edition,  revised  and 
abridged  by  the  Rev.  William  Atherton.  Life  in  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Magazine  for  1S1G  (Nos.  for  October,  November, 
December).  II  :  •  .  Battnts,  and  Prienda  of  .John  Wesley, 
p.  129. 


140      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

years  of  age.1     "  God   brought  me  to  Himself  by 
affliction,"  she  wrote  in  her  diary.2 

She  was  one  of  the  persons  of  high  eminence  who 
joined  "Wesley's  audiences  in  Edinburgh,  and  be- 
came acquainted  with  him  in  1764.  She  became 
a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Society  in  Edinburgh 
about  this  time,  and  continued  a  member  of  it  till 
the  close  of  her  life,  although  she  generally  com- 
municated with  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and  re- 
mained a  member  of  St  Cuthbert's,  Edinburgh. 
It  is  said  of  her  that  from  twenty-three  to  fifty- 
five  years  of  age  she  attended  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel  at  five  in  the  morning.3  She  subdued 
the  strong  prejudices  of  education  and  country,4 
and  adhered  to  Wesley's  cause  during  the  bitter 
Calvinistic  controversies  that  raged  throughout  the 
latter  part  of  his  life.  On  July  2,  1770,  Lady 
Maxwell  established  a  school  in  Edinburgh  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  education  and  Christian  instruc- 
tion to  poor  children.  She  classed  herself  with 
the  most  zealous  and  active  patrons  of  Sunday- 
schools,  and  had  no  small  influence  in  spreading 
them  over  the  country.  She  contributed  towards 
the  support  of  several  divinity  students  in  Edin- 
burgh, when  she  found  their  circumstances  were 
such  as  to  require  assistance.  She  was  the  lifelong 
friend  of  Lady   Henrietta  Hope,   and  Lady  Glen- 

1  See  Sir   William   Fraser's   Memoirs  of  the   Maxwells  of 
Pollok,  vol.  i.  pp.  412-417. 

2  Bourne's  Sketch  of  Lady  Maxwell,  p.  17- 

3  Ibid.,  p.  47.  4  Atherton's  Life,  vol.  i.  p.  71. 


HEK    SYMPATHY    WITH    WESLEY.  141 

oiehy,  who  wrote  of  her:  "She  is  indeed  one 
among  a  thousand  Of  all  I  have  ever  known,  she 
is  the  most  upright  Christian.  ...  I  have  often 
found  an  hour's  conversation  with  her  act  as  a 
cordial." l  Lady  Glenorchy  left  her  in  her  will 
witli  th«'  charge  "of  finishing  Hope  Chapel  at 
BrifitolwellSj  and  of  aiding  those  of  Carlisle,  Work- 
ington, and  the  other  chapels  and  institutions;"2 
this  she  undertook,  and  shortly  before  her  death 
accomplished.  Lady  Maxwell  was  the  devoted 
friend  of  Wesley  in  Scotland,  and  gave  him  the 
same  support  in  the  Xorth  as  Mary  Bosanquet  of 
Cross  Hall  and  Lady  Mary  Fitzgerald  did  in  the 
South. :; 

In  her  ■  Diary  and  Correspondence '  will  be 
found  many  interesting  letters  on  religious  topics 
to  Wesley,  whom  she  regarded  as  her  counsellor 
and  guide.  Her  diary  is  characterised  by  a  beauti- 
ful Christian  spirit,  that  had  attained  the  highest 
lion,  repose,  and  joy  in  Christian  experience. 
There  breathes  throughout  it  a  refined  spirituality 
and  mysticism.  Lady  Maxwell  was  one  of  those 
who  in  earlier  days  would  have  been  canonised 
by  the  Church.  The  ascent  of  her  life  toward- 
was  well  expressed  in  her  own  words  : — 

veil  that  <<>vers  mi>eeii  things  from  mortal  eyas 


1  Dr  Jones'  Life  of  La<lv  Gk-norcliv,  pp.  118,  125. 
«  Ibi.L.  p. 

3  See  TL  :  ;unts,  and  Friends  of  John  Wesley.  pp. 

126-190. 


142      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

grows  more  transparent.  I  get  clearer  views  of  the 
eternal  world  ;  of  the  happiness  of  its  blessed  inhabit- 
ants.1 The  more  God  gives  me  of  the  world,  the  more 
clearly  He  makes  me  see  its  emptiness  ;  it  recedes,  it 
disappears,  it  lessens  in  my  view.2  Evermore,  0  my 
God,  do  Thou  thus  guide  and  overrule  my  determina- 
tions both  in  heart  and  life,  till  Thy  love  has  made  an 
entire  conquest.3 

Her  life  was  a  carrying  out  of  her  early  resolu- 
tion— "  I  see  God  requires  my  whole  heart,  and  He 
shall  have  it."4 

Lady  Maxwell  remained  a  member  of  Wesley's 
society  until  her  death  in  1810,  and  from  1764 
to  1791  some  of  Wesley's  most  interesting  letters 
were  written  to  her,  while  she  wrote  most  helpful 
letters  to  him  in  the  midst  of  his  apostolic  labours. 
Shortly  before  his  death,  and  when  age  had  begun 
to  lessen  his  vigour,  the  venerable  man  seems  to 
have  been  much  strengthened  by  the  sympathy  and 
kind  words  of  his  Scottish  friend.  March  2,  1791 
(when  eighty-eight  years  of  age),  Wesley  wrote  to 
Lady  Maxwell :  "I  really  love  to  write  to  you,  as 
I  love  to  think  of  you.  And  sometimes  it  may 
please  Him,  who  sends  by  whom  He  will  send,  to 
give  you  some  assistance  by  me.  Your  letters  have 
frequently  been  an  encouragement  and  a  comfort  to 
me.  Let  them  never,  my  dear  friend,  be  intermitted 
during  the  few  days  I  have  to  stay  below."  5 

Such   is   a    short    account   of   this    remarkable 

i  Atherton's  Life,  p.  326.  2  ibid.,  p.  296. 

s  Ibid.,  p.  133.  4  Ibid.,  p.  16.  5  Ibid.,  p.  99. 


WESLEY   ON   ASSUEANCE.  143 

Scottish  lady,  of  whom  we  will  hear  more  in  the 
course  of  the  subsequent  narrative.  Wesley's  letters 
to  her  recall  Rutherford's  to  his  friends.  The  first 
was  written  to  her  two  months  after  he  left  Scot- 
land in  1764. 

London,  August  17,  1764. 

My  deab  Lady, — Since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  yours, 
I  have  hardly  had  an  hour  that  I  could  call  my  own, 
otherwise  I  would  not  have  delayed  writing  so  long,  as 
I  have  a  tender  regard  for  you,  and  an  earnest  desire 
that  you  should  be  altogether  a  Christian.  I  cannot 
be  content  with  your  being  ever  so  harmless,  or 
regular  in  your  behaviour,  or  even  exemplary  in  all 
externals.  You  have  received  the  fear  of  God  already; 
but  shall  you  stop  here?  God  forbid.  This  is  only 
the  beginning  of  wisdom.  You  are  not  to  end  there 
Fear  shall  ri}>en  into  love.  You  shall  know  (perhaps 
very  soon)  that  love  of  God  which  passcth  knowledge. 
You  shall  witness  the  kingdom  of  God  within  you,  even 
righteousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is 
no  small  instance  of  the  goodness  of  God  toward  you, 
that  you  are  conscious  of  your  want  of  living  faith. 
And  this  goodness  herein  is  more  remarkable,  because 
almost  all  your  neighbours  would  set  you  down  for  a 
right  good  believer.  O  beware  of  these  flatteries. 
Hold  fast  to  the  convictions  which  God  has  given  you. 
Faith — living,  conquering,  loving  faith— is  undoubt- 
edly the  thing  you  want;  and  of  this  you  have  fre- 
quently a  taste  to  encourage  you  in  pressing  forward. 
is  the  tender  mercy  of  Him  that  loves  you  ! 
Such  His  desire,  that  you  should  receive  all  His  pre- 
I  Do  not  think  they  are  afar  off  Do 
not  imagine  you  must  stay  long  months,  or  years, 
before  you  receive  them.      Do  not  put  them  off  a  day, 


144      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

an  hour.  Why  not  now?  Why  should  you  not  look 
up  this  instant,  and  see,  as  it  were,  Jesus  Christ 
evidently  set  forth,  crucified  before  your  eyes  ?  O  hear 
His  voice,  "  Daughter,  be  of  good  cheer  !  thy  sins  are 
forgiven  thee  ! "  "  Say  not  in  thy  heart,  Who  shall  go 
up  into  heaven,  or  who  shall  go  down  into  the  deep  !  " 
No  !  "  The  word  is  nigh  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth,  and 
in  thy  heart."  "  Lord,  I  believe  !  Help  my  unbelief  !  " 
Joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a  precious  gift  of  God  ;  but, 
yet,  tenderness  of  conscience  is  a  still  greater  gift. 
And  all  this  is  for  you — just  ready. 

' '  The  speechless  awe,  that  dares  not  move, 
And  all  the  silent  heaven  of  love." 

I  am  no  great  friend  to  solitary  Christianity.  Never- 
theless, in  so  peculiar  a  case  as  yours,  I  think  an 
exception  may  be  admitted.  It  does  seem  most 
expedient  for  you  to  retire  from  Edinburgh,  at  least  for 
a  season,  till  God  has  increased  your  strength.  For 
the  company  of  those  who  know  not  God,  who  are 
strangers  to  the  religion  of  the  heart,  especially  if 
they  are  sensible,  agreeable  persons,  might  quite  damp 
the  grace  of  God  in  your  soul. 

You  cannot  oblige  me  more  than  by  telling  me  all 
that  is  in  your  heart.  There  is  no  danger  of  your 
tiring  me.  I  do  not  often  write  so  long  letters  as  this  ; 
but  when  I  write  to  you,  I  am  full  of  matter.  I  seem 
to  see  you  just  before  me  —  a  poor,  feeble,  helpless 
creature,  but  just  upon  the  point  of  salvation  :  upright 
of  heart  (in  a  measure),  full  of  real  desires  for  God,  and 
emerging  into  light.  The  Lord  take  you  whole  !  So 
prays,  my  dear  lady,  your  affectionate  friend, 

John  Wesley. 


JAMES   HERVEY.  145 


Eighth  Visit,  1765. 

Wesley's  work  during  this  visit  was  most  un- 
eventful in  its  general  details,  but  it  was  very  neces- 
sary on  account  of  a  certain  publication  that  had 
appeared  in  Scotland,  with  a  preface  by  the  Eev. 
Dr  John  Erskine  of  Greyfriars,  Edinburgh.  "  My 
coming,"  he  writes,1  "  was  quite  seasonable  (though 
unexpected)  as  those  bad  letters,  published  in  the 
name  of  Mr  Hervey,  and  reprinted  here  by  Mr 
John  Erskine,  had  made  a  great  deal  of  noise." 

James  Hervey  (1714-1758)  was  one  of  the  very 
earliest  links  connecting  the  Methodist  movement 
with  literature.-  He  was  born  at  Hardingstone 
near  Northampton,  26th  February  1714,  and  studied 
at  Lincoln  College,  Oxford,  where  he  joined  the 
Methodist  Society  presided  over  by  Wesley.  From 
1743-1758  he  was  rector  of  Weston-Favell — his 
father's  parish.  He  died  at  the  early  age  of  forty- 
f<  'in-.     He  has  been  thus  described  : — 


A  more  gentle,  pious,  unworldly  spirit  than  that  of 
James  Hervey  it  is  difficult  to  conceive.  He  was  never 
known  to  be  in  o  :  he  made  a  solemn  vow  to 

.1  the  profits  of  his  literary  work  to  pious 
scrupulously  }>erformed  it.    He  was  naturally 
disinclined  to  controversy,  though  from  :  duty 

he  threw  himself  into  the  hottest  and  most  unsatis- 


1  Appendix,  p.  2f 

•nth  Century,  vol.  ii.  p.  551. 
E 


146      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

factory  of  all  controversies.  The  simplicity  of  his 
character  is  a  strange  contrast  to  the  artificiality  of 
his  best  known  writings  ;  but  in  his  correspondence 
and  his  sermons  he  uses  a  simpler  and  therefore  a 
more  pleasing  style.  His  popularity  as  a  writer  never 
led  him  to  take  a  false  view  of  his  own  powers  :  when 
it  was  at  its  height  he  frankly  confessed  that  he  was 
not  a  man  of  strong  mind,  and  that  he  had  not  power 
for  arduous  research.1 

The  best  of  his  known  works  (all  Calvinistic  in 
tone)  are  his  '  Meditations  and  Contemplations ' 
(1746),  including  his  famous  'Meditations  among 
the  Tombs/  'Contemplations  on  the  Night'  (1747), 
and  'Theron  and  Aspasio,'  with  which  we  have 
here  to  do.  Hervey's  aim  is  well  expressed  in  his 
'Theron  and  Aspasio.'  "Let  us,"  says  one  of  the 
speakers  in  the  dialogue,  "  endeavour  to  make  reli- 
gious conversation,  which  is  in  all  respects  desir- 
able, in  some  degree  fashionable."  And  so  he 
adopted  dialogue  as  the  best  means  for  expressing 
his  message,  and  as  the  means  of  consecrating  con- 
versation itself.  "I  can  hardly,"  he  says,  "name  a 
polite  family  where  the  conversation  ever  turns  on 
the  things  of  God.  I  hear  much  frothy  chit-chat, 
but  not  a  word  of  Christ.  And  I  am  determined 
not  to  visit  those  companies  where  there  is  not 
room  for  my  Master  as  well  as  for  myself."  2 

'Theron  and  Aspasio'  was  published  in  1755, 
but  previous  to  publication  Hervey  sent  the  work 

1  Leslie  Stephen's  Dictionary,  vol.  xxvi.  p.  283. 

2  Tyerman's  Oxford  Methodists,  p.  325. 


JAMES    HERVEY.  147 

to  Wesley  for  revisaL  Wesley  revised  the  first 
three  dialogues,  and  "sent  them  back  with  a  few 
inconsiderable  corrections."  l  Hervey  replied,  "  You 
are  not  my  friend  if  you  do  not  take  more  liberty 
with  me."  Wesley  promised  that  he  would,  and 
alterations  were  made  of  a  more  important  character.2 
Some  of  his  alterations  must  have  offended  Hervey, 
for  when  the  work  was  nearly  ready  for  the  press 
the  old  college  friends  had  become  somewhat  alien- 
ated. Writing  to  Lady  Shirley,  Hervey  says : 
"Mr  John  Wesley  takes  me  very  roundly  to  task 
on  the  score  of  predestination,  at  which  I  am  much 
surprised.  Because  a  reader,  ten  times  less  pene- 
trating than  he  is,  may  easily  see  that  this  doctrine 
(be  it  true  or  false)  makes  no  part  of  my  scheme  ; 
never  comes  under  consideration  ;  is  purposely  and 
carefully  avoid''!."  Hervey's  book  was  well  re- 
ceived and  widely  read  :  Wesley  was  quite  fair  in 
his  remarks  upon  it,  but  took  exception  to  a  phrase 
which  he  did  not  like — "imputed  righteousness." 
"'  The  imputed  righteousness  of  Christ'  is  a  phrase 
not  Scriptural.  It  has  done  immense  harm.  I 
have  had  abundant  proof  that  the  frequent  use  of 
this  unnecessary  phrase,  instead  of  'furthering 
-  progress  in  vital  holiness,'  has  made  them 
lied  without  any  holiness  at  all;  yea,  and  en- 
couraged them  to  work  all  uncleanness  with  greedi- 
The  book  excited  great  interest  in  Scotland, 

;  Tyerman' 

=  Works,  vol.  x.  p.  305.  ■  Ibid.,  p. 


148      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

where  the  "  Marrow  controversy  "  was  still  fresh : 
Sandeman  in  his  '  Letters  on  Theron  and  Aspasio ' 
both  approved  and  disapproved ;  Dr  Witherspoon 
of  Beith  published  a  pamphlet  to  show  that  Hervey's 
doctrine  of  imputed  righteousness  does  not  weaken 
the  obligations  to  holiness  of  life.1  Wesley,  as  has 
been  already  indicated,  replied  to  the  first  (p.  129). 
In  1756  Wesley  wrote  to  Hervey  several  letters, 
giving  his  criticisms  on  the  whole  work,  and  for  some 
inexplicable  reason,  probably  through  the  influence 
of  those  who  were  Wesley's  enemies,  Hervey  did  not 
reply.  Wesley  published  in  1758  this  critique  in 
'  Preservative  against  Unsettled  Notions  in  Religion.' 
Hervey  felt  deeply  wounded  ;  "  He  is  so  unfair  in 
his  quotations,  and  so  magisterial  in  his  manner, 
that  I  find  it  no  small  difficulty  to  preserve  the 
decency  of  the  gentleman,  and  the  meekness  of  the 
Christian,  in  my  intended  answer.  May  our  divine 
Master  aid  me  in  both  these  instances,  or  else  not 
suffer  me  to  write  at  all."  Hervey  began  a  reply  to 
Wesley,  under  the  influence  of  Wesley's  theological 
antagonist,  the  Rev.  William  Cudworth.  Wesley 
wrote  to  his  old  friend  as  follows,  notwithstanding 
the  alienation,  and  the  letter  must  be  inserted  to 
make  what  followed  clear : — 

London,  November  29,  1758. 
Dear  Sir, — A  week  or  two  ago,  in  my  return  from 
Norwich,  I  met  with  Mr  Pierce  of  Bury,  who  informed 
me  of  a  conversation  which  he  had  a  few  days  before. 


1  Tyerman's  Oxford  Methodists,  pp.  297,  298. 


WESLEY   AND    HERVEY.  149 

Mr  Cud  worth,  he  said,  then  told  him,  "that  he  had 
prevailed  on  Mr  Honey  to  write  against  me,  who  like- 
wise, in  what  he  had  written,  referred  to  the  book 
which  he  (Mr  Cudworth)  had  lately  published." 

Every  one  is  welcome  to  write  what  he  pleases  con- 
cerning me.  But  would  it  not  be  well  for  you  to 
remember  that,  before  I  published  anything  concerning 
yon,  I  sent  it  to  you  in  a  private  letter? — that  I  waited 
for  an  answer  several  months,  but  was  not  favoured 
with  one  line  ? — that  when  at  length  I  published  part 
of  what  I  had  sent  you,  I  did  it  in  the  most  inoffensive 
manner  possible  :  in  the  latter  end  of  a  larger  work, 
purely  designed  to  preserve  those  in  connection  with 
me  from  being  tossed  to  and  fro  by  various  doctrines  ! 
What,  therefore,  I  may  fairly  expect  from  my  friend  is, 
to  mete  to  me  with  the  same  measure  ;  to  send  to  me, 
first,  in  a  private  manner,  any  complaint  he  has  against 
me  ;  to  wait  so  many  months  ;  and,  if  I  give  you 
none,  or  no  satisfactory  answer,  then  to  lay  the  matter 
l>efore  the  world,  if  you  judge  it  will  be  to  the  glory 
tod 

...  0  leave  not  your  old  well-tried  friends  !  The 
new  is  not  comparable  to  them.  I  speak  not  this 
because  I  am  afraid  of  what  any  one  can  say  or  do 
<  ;  but  I  am  really  concerned  for  you.  An  evil 
man  has  gained  the  ascendant  over  you,  and  has  per- 
suaded a  dying  man,  who  had  shunned  it  all  his  life,  to 
enter  into  controversy,  as  he  is  stepping  into  eternity  ! 
Put  off  your  armour,  my  brother  !  You  and  I  have  no 
momenta  to  spare.  Let  us  employ  them  all  in  pro- 
mt.ting  peace  and  goodwill  among  men.  And  may 
the  peace  of  God  keep  your  heart  and  mind  in  Christ 
•••  •         So  prays,;  >ur  affectionate  brother  and  servant, 

J.  Wesley.1 

1  Tyerman's  Oxford  Methodists,  p.  820. 


150      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Hervey  died  before  his  reply  was  finished,  and 
certainly  before  it  received  its  final  revision.1  The 
manuscript  was  submitted  to  Cudworth,  who  was 
anxious  to  have  it  published.  Hervey  on  the 
evening  before  his  death  expressed  a  desire  to  the 
contrary — "As  it  is  not  a  finished  piece,  I  desire 
you  will  think  no  more  about  it."2  He  died  on 
Christmas  1758,  and  six  years  after  his  death 
(notwithstanding  the  request  of  Hervey)  the  letters 
were  published  surreptitiously,  without  the  printer's 
name,  and  with  a  brief  preface  signed  "Philolethes." 
The  following  year  Hervey's  brother  published 
another  edition  entitled  '  Eleven  Letters  from  the 
late  Eev.  Mr  Hervey  to  the  Rev.  Mr  John  Wesley, 
containing  an  Answer  to  that  Gentleman's  Remarks 
on  "  Theron  and  Aspasio." '  Wesley  could  not  allow 
this  publication  to  remain  unanswered,  and  in  1765 
he  printed  'A  Treatise  on  Justification,  extracted 
from  Mr  John  Goodwin ;  with  a  Preface,  wherein 
all  that  is  material  in  Letters  just  published  under 
the  name  of  the  Rev.  Mr  Hervey  is  answered.'3 

i  Tyerman's  Life  of  Wesley,  vol.  ii.  p.  527.         2  Ibid.,  p.  528. 

3  "Hervey's  brother  gave  Cudworth  leave  'to  put  out  and 
put  in'  whatever  he  thought  expedient.  Cudworth's  Anti- 
nomian  sentiments  led  him  to  abhor  Wesley's  opinions  ;  he 
caricatured  them  relentlessly  by  his  interpolations  of  Wesley's 
pages,  and  sent  forth  in  Hervey's  name  the  first  and  most 
reckless  and  odious  caveat  against  Methodism  that  ever 
emanated  from  any  one  who  had  friendly  relations  to  it.  It 
was  republished  in  Scotland,  and  tended  much  to  forestall 
the  spread  of  Methodism  there.  Wesley  felt  keenly  the  in- 
justice and  heartlessness  of  this  attack,  but  his  sorrow  was 
mitigated  by  the  knowledge  that  most  of  the  abuse  in  the 


THE   'ELEVEN   LETTERS.'  151 

The  appearance  of  the  '  Eleven  Letters '  was  most 
unfortunate  ;  they  were,  in  the  first  place,  written 
at  a  time  of  misunderstanding  and  alienation  be- 
tween the  two  great  men  ;  they  were  not  desired  to 
be  published  by  the  author,  and  "the  authentic 
edition  hardly  differs  a  hair-breadth  from  the  sur- 
reptitious one."1  In  England  the  publication  led 
to  the  Calvinistic  controversy,  which  raged  so  long 
and  bitterly,  and  in  which  Wesley  had  the  noble 
help  of  his  friend  the  saintly  Fletcher  of  Madeley ; 2 
in  Scotland  Wesley's  doctrines  were  denounced,  and 
a  bitter  storm  aroused.  Wesley  felt  the  matter 
deeply.  "And  is  this  thy  voice,  my  son  David1? 
Is  this  thy  tender,  loving,  grateful  spirit  1  Xo,  '  the 
hand  of  Joab  is  in  all  this.'  .  .  .  Peace  or  war, 
ease  or  pain,  life  or  death,  is  good,  so  I  may  but 
1  finish  my  course  with  joy,'  and  the  ministry  which 
I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the 
Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God." 

The  'Eleven  Letters'  were  printed  by  the  Rev. 
Dr  John  Erskine  in  Scotland,  with  a  preface,  in 
1765.  Kershaw,  one  of  Wesley's  itinerants,  re- 
plied in  '  An  Earnest  Appeal  to  the  Public,  in 
an  honest,  amicable,  and  affectionate  reply.'  Dr 
RreVine,   the   leader   of   tin •   Evangelical   party   in 

publication  was  interpolated,  and  that  Hervey,  who  had  de- 
I  to  <-ull  him  hia  'friend  and  father,'  knew  him  too  well 

to  have  thin   struck   at   him  from  the  grave."  —  Dr  Bterens' 
ry  of  Methodism,  vol.  ii.  \>.  284,  285. 
i  Oxftn  ML 

i  Fletcher's  Works,  vols.  i.  and  ii.,  and  Tyermaii's  Life. 


152      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Scotland,  rushed  into  controversy  again  in  '  Mr 
Wesley's  Principles  Detected,  or  a  Defence  to  the 
Edinburgh  Edition  of  "  Aspasio "  vindicated ;  in 
answer  to  Mr  Kershaw's  "  Appeal."  '  Dr  Erskine 
was  a  saintly  and,  notwithstanding  his  pronounced 
Calvinistic  views,  a  kindly  man;  but  his  preface 
was  characterised  by  intemperate  language  against 
Wesley,  and  was  very  bitter.1  What  can  be  now 
said  of  the  following  1 — 

The  publisher  never  received  the  least  provocation 
from  any  of  the  Methodists  ;  nay,  has  been  treated  by 
them  with  unmerited  respect ;  many  of  them  he  es- 
teems and  loves  for  the  truth's  sake  which  is  in  them, 
and  shall  be  with  them  for  ever.  Of  the  sincere  piety 
of  some  of  their  teachers,  nay,  even  of  their  sound 
principles,  he  would  think  favourably.  But  when  he 
reflects  that  one  is  at  the  head  of  their  societies  who 
has  blended  with  some  precious  Gospel  truths  a  medley 
of  Arminian,  Antinomian,  and  enthusiastic  errors,  he 
thinks  it  high  time  to  sound  an  alarm  to  all  who 
would  wish  to  transmit  to  posterity  the  pure  faith  once 
delivered  to  the  saints,  seriously  to  consider  what  the 
end  of  these  things  may  be.  Damnable  heresies, 
superstitious  rites,  and  the  wildest  fanaticism  may 
gradually  gain  ground ;  and  opinions  and  practices 
take  place  the  mention  of  which  would  shock  many, 
it  is  hoped  the  greatest  part  of  people  in  this  country, 
at  present  attached  to  Methodism.  If  men  are  once 
brought  to  believe  that  right  opinion  is  a  slender  part 
of  religion,  or  no  part  at  all,  there  is  scarce  anything 
so  foolish  or  so  wicked  which  Satan  may  not  prompt 


i  See  Life  of  John  Erskine,  D.D.,  pp.  249-265. 


REV.   DR   JOHN   ERSKINE.  153 

them  to,  by  transforming   himself  into   an   angel   of 
light.1 

Wesley  did  not  reply  ;  his  aim  was  not  contro- 
versial, but  to  elevate  the  religious  life  of  the 
country  and  deepen  personal  religion ;  he  only  felt 
it  appropriate  to  be  with  his  little  religious  societies 
in  the  time  of  misunderstanding. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  bitter  words  were  written 
against  AVesley  by  Dr  Erskine  ;  that  he  was  wounded 
by  letters  "  published  in  the  name  of  Mr  Hervey  " ; 
that  the  spirit  of  controversy  was  aroused  through- 
out the  country,  so  fatal  to  the  growth  of  the 
religious  life  which  "Wesley  had  solely  at  heart. 
u  Religion  must  have  repose." 2  Wesley's  preachers 
felt  their  difficulties  doubly  increased.   One  writes  : — 

We  then  spent  our  time  and  strength  about  the 
meaning  of  words,  instead  of  promoting  the  fear  and 
love  of  God.3 

Another  wrote  from  Dundee  : — 

Before  I  left  the  place  there  were  near  a  hundred 
joined  in  our  society.  About  this  time  Mr  Erskine 
published  Mr  Harvey's  letters,  with  a  preface  equally 
bitter.  O  the  precious  convictions  these  letters  de- 
stroyed !  They  made  me  mourn  in  secret  places. 
Mr  Erskine  being  much  esteemed  in  the  religious 
world,  and  recommending  them  through  the  whole 
kingdom,  our  enemies  made  the  advantage  of  them. 
de  the  late   Lady   Gardiner  Leave  us,  after 


Memorials  of  Edwin  Batch,  D.D.,  p.  322. 
3  Early  Methodist  Preachers,  vol.  i.  p.  211. 


154      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

expressing  a  thousand  times  in  my  hearing  the  great 
profit  she  received  by  hearing  our  preaching.  Many 
were  then  brought  to  the  birth,  but  by  those  letters 
their  convictions  were  stifled.  What  a  pity  good  men 
should  help  to  destroy  the  real  work  of  God  in  the 
hearts  of  men.1 

A  third  wrote  : — 

One  great  obstacle  in  my  way  was,  a  new  edition  of 
the  '  Eleven  Letters,'  ascribed  to  Mr  Hervey,  had  just 
come  out,  prefaced  by  a  minister  in  Edinburgh,  a 
man  much  esteemed  in  Scotland.  These  letters  fully 
answered  their  design.  They  carried  gall  and  worm- 
wood wherever  they  came.  So  that  it  was  a  sufficient 
reason  for  every  one  to  keep  his  distance,  because  I 
was  connected  with  Mr  Wesley.  I  laboured  to  keep  as 
clear  as  possible  of  controversy,  dwelling  chiefly  upon 
repentance,  faith,  and  the  new  birth.2 

Still,  "  he  who  fears  God,"  says  Leighton,  "  knows 
no  other  fear,"  and  Wesley  was  undaunted. 

Ninth  Visit,  1766. 

When  at  Edinburgh  he  visited  the  General 
Assembly,  and  records  his  impressions  of  it.3  At 
Dundee4  he  endeavoured  to  lessen  prejudice  and  to 

i  Vol.  ii.  p.  145.         2  Vol.  v.  p.  29.         3  Appendix,  p.  255. 

4  During  1765  Thomas  Olivers  was  Wesley's  evangelist  at 
Glasgow,  and  during  1766  at  Dundee  (Minutes,  pp.  49,  75). 
He  was  the  author  of  the  well-known  hymn  "  The  God  of 
Abraham  praise,"  of  which  James  Montgomery  declares,  "There 
is  not  in  our  language  a  lyric  of  more  majestic  style."  The 
following  is  the  account  of  its  origin :  The  son  of  a  Wesleyan 
minister  said  a  few  years  ago,  "I  remember  my  father  telling 


"THE   GOD   OF  ABRAHAM   PRAISE."         155 

meet  the  objections  taken  against  him  in  Scotland.1 
At  Aberdeen  he  preached  in  the  College  Kirk,  and 
at  Monymusk  in  the  parish  church.  At  Glasgow 
Dr  Gillies  was  as  helpful  as  ever,  and  was  occasion- 
ally present  at  the  little  society.  Wesley  seems  to 
have  preached  there  in  the  College  Church:  "I 
perceived  the  Scots,  if  you  touch  but  the  right  key, 
receive  as  lively  impressions  as  the  English." 

His  remarks  on  the  Scottish  Eeformation  will  be 
read  with  interest.2 

On  the  Solway  Firth  he  had  a  dangerous 
adventure.3 

The  minutes  of  the  Leeds  Conference  (1766)  have 
the  question  :  "  When  should  we  enforce  the  rules 
of  the  Society  in  Ireland  and  Scotland  1  Without 
delay.  Only  show  them  the  reasonableness  of  it  in 
Scotland,  and  they  will  conform  to  anything."4 

me  that  he  was  once  Standing  in  the  aisle  of  City  Road  Chapel 
during  a  conference  in  Wesley's  time.  Thomas  Olivers,  one  of 
the  preachers,  came  down  to  him  and  said,  '  Look  at  this  ;  I 
have  rendered  it  from  the  Hebrew,  giving  it,  as  far  as  I  could,  a 
Christian  character,  and  I  have  called  on  Leoni  the  Jew,  who 
oagogoe  melody  to  suit  it ;  here  is  the  tune, 
and  it  is  to  be  called  "  Leoni."'  '  Dr  Julian,  to  verify  this 
.  -omrnunicated  with  the  late  Rabbi  Adler,  and  discovered 
that  the  hymn  is  really  a  free  rendering,  with  Christian 
colouring,    of   t"  ••    doxology   which    reheai 

metrical  form  the  thirteen  articles  of  the  Hebrew  creed  drawn 
up  by Maimonides  L130-1205).  It  is  still  chanted  on  Friday 
evening  in  evi  -      of  the  British  empire  to  the  melody 

known  tons  Hymn.-,  and  Hymn-makers,  Campbell, 

pp.  '. 

!>endix,  p.  2  -  Appendix,  p.  S 

.   pendix,  p.  4  Mii. 


156      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 


Tenth  Visit,  1767. 

Wesley  was  again  impressed  with  a  feature  of  the 
Scottish  nation  that  he  expresses  more  than  once : 
"  I  must  say  for  the  Scots  in  general,  I  know  no 
men  like  them  for  bearing  plain  dealing";  yet  in 
desiring  plain  preaching,  he  did  not  approve  of 
scolding  preaching  : — 

I  was  sorry  to  find  both  the  society  and  the  con- 
gregations smaller  than  when  I  was  here  last.  I 
impute  this  chiefly  to  the  manner  of  preaching  which 
has  been  generally  used.  The  people  have  been  told 
frequently  and  strongly  of  their  coldness,  deadness, 
heaviness,  and  littleness  of  faith,  but  very  rarely  of 
anything  that  would  move  thankfulness.  Hereby  many 
were  driven  away,  and  those  that  remained  were  kept 
cold  and  dead.1 

Wesley  was  always  interested  in  those  questions 
relating  to  that  mysterious  borderland  where  mind 
and  body  blend,  and  with  his  strong  belief  in,  and 
personal  experience  of,  the  spiritual  and  super- 
natural acting  upon  the  natural  and  physical,  was 
open  to  receive  evidence  from  all  quarters,  even 
the  humblest.  He  united  intellectual  and  moral 
majesty  with  docility  of  spirit,  and  a  capability 
of  considering  every  such  case  brought  before  him 
— some  may  think  too  deferentially.  In  this  jour- 
ney, as  in  the  former  and  subsequent  ones,  such 
cases  were  before  his  notice,2  and  Wesley  did  not 
1  Appendix,  p.  261.  -  Ibid. 


RELIGION   AND   EXPERIENCE*  157 

regard  it  as  superstitious  to  believe  that  purely 
physical  phenomena  were  capable  of  explaining 
them.  Some  may  say  he  had  too  much  credulity, 
but  belief  did  not  lessen  his  great  capability  for 
work,  or  make  him  dreamy  in  his  creed.  On  the 
Sunday  we  find  him  preaching  three  times  in  Edin- 
burgh, and  on  the  following  Monday  visiting  as 
many  as  he  could,  sick  and  well,  and  endeavouring 
to  confirm  them ;  in  the  evening  preaching  at  seven 
and  nine,  concluding  about  twelve  ;  next  morning 
otf  to  Dunbar,  "if  possible  to  arouse  some  of  the 
sleepers."  It  is  a  marvel :  his  own  life  was  the  best 
evidence  of  a  soul  fed  from  unseen  rills  of  strength. 


Eleventh  Visit,   1768. 

Religion  [it  has  been  Bald]  may  be  demonstrated 
from  two  sides — reason  and  experience,  logic  and  life 
— and  hence  we  have  apologetical  literature  and  bio- 
graphical literature  ;  but  surely  the  latter  is  not  in- 
ferior to  the  former  in  power  and  conclusiveness.  The 
thousands  of  honest  men  and  women  who  have  had 
experience  of  the  things  of  God,  who  have  tested  the 
truth  of  Christ  in  all  life's  chequered  scenes— these 
are  witnesses  for  the  defence  of  the  faith,  certainly 
inferior  to  .   Butler,   and  Hooker.     Here 

Methodist  literature  has  rendered  gre;r  to  the 

Church  of  Christ— it  has  been  a  wita  Church 

in  a  very  eminent  degree,  telling  out  what  it  h. 
and  seen  of  the  grace  of  God.1 


:  y  ;  Tlw  M  .:..  fa  -    Mid  his  Work,  i .  287. 


158      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Its  founder  made  this  the  object  of  his  life,  and 
throughout  his  journeys  in  Scotland  we  find  him 
asserting  religion,  not  as  an  opinion  or  a  theory  of 
the  here  and  the  hereafter,  but  as  a  life  within  the 
believer's  life.1 

I  spoke  to  most  of  the  members  of  the  society  [at 
Glasgow].  I  doubt  we  have  few  societies  in  Scotland 
like  this  ;  the  greater  part  of  those  I  saw  not  only 
have  found  peace  with  God,  but  continue  to  walk  in 
the  light  of  His  countenance.     Indeed  that  wise  and 

good  man  Mr  G has  been  of  great  service  to  them, 

encouraging  them  by  all  possible  manner  to  abide  in 
the  grace  of  God. 

Dr  Gillies  of  the  College  Parish,  Glasgow,  was 
a  great  worker  (p.  124)  and  a  beautiful  catholic 
spirit.  Like  Wesley,  he  recognised  worth  in  those 
who  might  differ  from  him  in  doctrine,  and  it  is 
no  small  honour  to  his  memory  that  he  was  among 
the  very  earliest  of  Wesley's  Scottish  friends,  and 
that  he  recognised  the  great  movement  of  which 
Wesley  was  the  inspirer. 

Wesley  left  Glasgow  for  Perth,2  where  he  was 
well  received;  proceeded  to  Aberdeen,  where  he 
found  a  society  "  truly  alive,  knit  together  in  peace 
and  love."3  He  preached  again  in  the  College 
Kirk,  and  in  the  evening  at  the  Castle  Gate. 
Wesley  only  received  violence  in  Scotland  on  one 
occasion,   and   in   this   respect   his    Scottish  visits 

i  Appendix,  p.  262.  a  Ibid. 

3  Appendix,  p.  263. 


Wesley's  impressions.  159 

form  a  pleasant  contrast  to  his  English  receptions. 
"A  large  number  of  persons  were  all  attention ;  but 
there  were  many  rude,  stupid  creatures  round  about 
them,  who  knew  as  little  of  reason  as  of  religion. 
I  never  saw  such  brutes  in  Scotland  before.  One 
of  them  threw  a  potato,  which  fell  on  my  arm ; 
I  turned  to  them  and  some  were  ashamed."  :  After 
six  days'  work  in  Aberdeen  he  returned  South, 
preaching  at  Brechin,  Dundee,  Perth,  Edinburgh, 
Dunbar.  His  impressions  of  the  Queen  Mary 
controversy,'2  Scone  Palace,"  and  Holyrood,4  will 
be  read  with  interest.0 

Two  other  features  in  this  Scottish  visit  deserve 
to  be  noticed.  At  the  close  of  1767  the  Earl  of 
Buchan  died,  and  he  had  always  taken  an  interest 
in  and  felt  a  benefit  from  Wesley's  preaching.  His 
last  words  were,  "  Happy,  happy,  happy  !  "  His 
Countess-Dowager,  a  lady  of  deep  piety,  appointed 
ley,  with  other  two,  as  her  domestic  chaplains.0 
This  was  done  through  the  intervention  of  Lady 
Huntingdon,  to  whom  Wesley  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing : — 

1  Appendix,  p.  264.  -  Appendix,  pp.  263,  264. 

.   pendix,  p.  _  4  Ibid. 

5  January,  11,  1768. — '"This  week  I  spent  my  scrape  of  time 
in  reading  Mr  Wodrow'a  '  History  of  the  Sufferings  of  the 
Church  of  Scotland.'  It  would  transcend  belief,  but  that  the 
vouchers  are  too  authentic  to  admit  of  any  exception.  U  what 
•  d  governor  was  that  good-natured  man,  BO  called,  King 
Charles  -  I  '.     Bloody  Queen   .Mary  was  a  lamb,  a  mere 

dove,  in  comparison  of  him  !  "—Diary,  vol.  iii.  p.  296. 
■  •ilium's  Life,  vol.  iii.  p.  2. 


160      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN  SCOTLAND. 

London,  January  4,  1768. 

My  dear  Lady, — I  am  obliged  to  your  ladyship, 
and  to  Lady  Buchan,  for  such  a  mark  of  your  regard 
as  I  did  not  at  all  expect.  I  purpose  to  return  her 
ladyship  thanks  by  this  post. 

That  remark  is  very  striking  as  well  as  just :  If  it  is 
the  Holy  Spirit  that  bears  witness,  then  all  speaking 
against  that  witness  is  one  species  of  blasphemy 
against  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  when  this  is  done  by 
those  who  profess  to  honour  Him,  it  must  in  a  peculiar 
manner  grieve  that  blessed  Spirit.  Yet  I  have  been 
surprised  to  observe  how  many,  who  affirm  salvation 
by  faith,  have  run  into  this  ;  running  full  into  Mr 
Sandeman's  notion  that  faith  is  merely  an  assent  to 
the  Bible  ;  and  not  only  undervaluing,  but  even  ridi- 
culing, the  whole  experience  of  the  children  of  God.  I 
rejoice  that  your  ladyship  is  still  preserved  from  that 
spreading  contagion,  and  also  enabled  plainly  and 
openly  to  avow  the  plain,  old,  simple,  unfashionable 
Gospel. 

Wishing  your  ladyship  many  happy  years,  I  remain, 
my  dear  lady,  your  very  affectionate  servant, 

John  Wesley. 

Wesley  when  in  Scotland  wrote  and  probably 
preached  his  famous  sermon  on  "The  Good  Stew- 
ard." He  emphasises  the  message  of  all  things — 
soul,  body,  talents,  goods — as  a  trust  for  which 
man  is  to  render  account.  The  sermon  was  pub- 
lished under  the  title,  "The  Good  Steward.  A 
Sermon  by  John  Wesley,  Chaplain  to  the  Eight 
Honourable  the  Countess-Dowager  of  Buchan." 

Again,  during  this  visit,  he  sought  an  interview 


INTERVIEW    WITH   DR    ERSKINE.  161 

with  the  Rev.  Dr  John  Erskine,  who  had  written 
the  intemperate  preface  to  Hervey's  Letters  against 
him,  and  the  following  extracts  from  a  letter  to  the 
Mi  Plenderleith  of  Edinburgh,  describing  it, 
are  interesting  : — 

I  had  for  some  time  given  up  the  thought  of  an 
interview  with  Mr  Erskine,  when  I  fell  into  the  com- 
pany of  Dr  Oswald.  He  said,  "  Sir,  you  do  not  know 
Mr  Erskine.  I  know  him  perfectly  well.  Send  and 
desire  an  hour's  conversation  with  him,  and  I  am  sure 
he  will  understand  you  letter."  I  am  glad  I  did  send. 
I  have  done  my  part,  and  am  now  entirely  satisfied.  I 
am  likewise  glad  that  Mr  Erskine  has  spoken  his 
mind.  I  will  answer  with  all  simplicity,  in  full  confi- 
dence of  satisfying  you^  and  all  impartial  men. 

He  objects  (1)  That  I  attack  predestination  as  sub- 
versive of  all  religion,  and  yet  suffer  my  followers  in 
Scotland  to  remain  in  that  position. 

h  of  this  is  true.     I  did  attack  predestination 
eight-and-twenty  years  ago,  and  I  do  not  believe  now 
any  predestination  which  implies  irrespective  reproba- 
tion.    But  I  do  not  believe  it  is  necessarily  subversive 
of  all  religion.     I  think  hot  disputes  are  much  more  so. 
Therefore  I  never  willingly  dispute  with  any  one  about 
od  I  adyiae  all  my  friends,  not  in  Scotland  only, 
bat  all  over  England  and  Ireland,  to  avoid  all  conten- 
on  this  head,  and  let  every  man  remain  in  his 
"pinion.      Can    any   man  of  candour    blame    me 
for  thisl      I-  there   anything  unfair  or  du 
alx.tr    • 

Ee  object*    _         it  I  "assert  the  attainment  of  ain- 

perfection  by  all  that  are  born  of  God."     I  am 

that  Mr  Erskine  should   affirm  this  again.     I 

need  give  no  other  answer  than   \  gave  before,  in  the 

L 


162      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD    IN    SCOTLAND. 

seventh  page  of  the  little  tract  I  sent  him  two  years 
ago.  I  do  not  maintain  this.  I  do  not  believe  it.  I 
believe  Christian  perfection  is  not  attained  by  any  of 
the  children  of  God  till  they  are  what  the  apostle  John 
terms  fathers;  and  this  I  expressly  declare  in  that 
sermon  which  Mr  Erskine  so  largely  quotes. 

He  objects  (3)  That  I  "  deny  the  imputation  of 
Christ's  active  obedience."  Since  I  believed  justifica- 
tion by  faith,  which  I  have  done  upwards  of  thirty 
years,  I  have  constantly  maintained  that  we  are  par- 
doned and  accepted  wholly  for  the  sake  of  what  Christ 
hath  both  done  and  suffered  for  us.  Two  or  three  years 
ago  Mr  Madan's  sister  showed  him  what  she  wrote 
down  of  a  sermon  which  I  had  preached  on  this 
subject.  He  entreated  me  to  write  down  the  whole 
and  print  it,  saying  it  would  satisfy  all  my  opponents. 
I  was  not  so  sanguine  as  to  expect  this  :  I  understand 
mankind  too  well.  However,  I  complied  with  his 
request :  a  few  were  satisfied  ;  the  rest  continued  just 
as  they  were  before. 

As  long  as  Mr  Erskine  continues  in  the  mind  ex- 
pressed in  his  Theological  Essays,  there  is  no  danger 
that  he  and  I  should  agree  any  more  than  light  and 
darkness.  /  love  and  reverence  him,  but  not  his  doctrine. 
I  dread  every  approach  to  antinomianism.  I  have 
seen  the  fruit  of  it  over  the  three  kingdoms.  I  never 
said  that  Mr  Erskine  and  I  were  agreed.  I  will  make 
our  disagreement  as  public  as  ever  he  pleases  ;  only  I 
must  withal  specify  the  particulars.  If  he  will  fight 
with  me,  it  must  be  on  this  ground  ;  and  then  let  him 
do  what  he  will,  and  what  he  can. 

One  cannot  escape  the  feeling  that  Wesley  had 
been  somewhat  harshly  treated;  but  probably  Dr 
Erskine  would  have  replied  in  the  same  noble  terms 


WESLEY   IN   NORTH    SCOTLAND.  163 

with   which   Wesley  spoke  of  him :    "  I  love  and 
reverence  him;  but  not  his  doctrine." 

Twelfth  Visit,   1770. 

A  i  Glasgow  he  spent  two  days  "  with  much  satis- 
faction." At  Edinburgh  he  was  grieved  at  the  result 
of  the  controversy  raised,  and  "that  the  children  of 
God  should  so  zealously  do  the  devil's  work."  At 
Perth  he  had  encouraging  meetings,  and  pleasant 
fellowship  with  the  ministers.  At  Inverness  he 
was  well  received  by  the  senior  minister,  "a  pious 
and  friendly  man,"  and  preached  twice  in  the  parish 
church  :  at  Xairn  he  also  preached  in  the  parish 
church  :  at  Aberdeen  in  the  College  church.  At 
Arbroath  "the  whole  town  seems  moved;  the  con- 
gregation was  the  largest  I  have  seen  since  we  left 
Inverness  ;  and  the  society,  though  but  of  nine 
months'  standing,  is  the  largest  in  the  kingdom, 
next  to  that  <»f  Aberdeen."1  He  was  impressed 
both  witli  the  abbey  ruins  and  the  town.-  At  Dirn- 
dl' the  ministers  "are  bitter  enough."  At  Edin- 
b  he  found  the  society  smaller,  preached  in 
.  Glenorchy'-  Chapel,  the  High  School  Yard, 
and  his  own  chapel.  He  ended  his  visit  at  Mussel- 
burgh  and  Dunbar. 

In  the  Life  of  Lady  Glenorchy,  containing  ex- 
from  her  diary  and  correspondence,  are  several 
to  Wesley's  visit.  Lady  Glenorchy,  in 
1  Appendix,  i>.  269.  -  I  hid. 


164      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

union  with  her  friend  Lady  Maxwell,  and  probably 
at  her  suggestion,  had  about  this  period  opened  a 
place  of  worship  in  Edinburgh  at  which  ministers 
of  all  denominations,  who  held  essential  truths, 
might  preach.1  This  chapel  was  situated  in  Nid- 
dry's  Wynd,  and  was  opened  on  March  7,  1770.2 
Many  were  opposed  to  it,  but  among  the  supporters 
of  the  movement  was  the  Rev.  Dr  Webster  of  the 
Tolbooth,  Edinburgh,  who  was  as  friendly  to  Wes- 
ley as  he  had  been  to  Whitefield,3  and  who  joined 
Lady  Maxwell  every  Sunday  evening  in  worship  at 
Mr  Wesley's  chapel,  then  in  the  Calton.4  Dr  Web- 
ster was  a  pronounced  Calvinist,  but  was  liberal  in 
his  views  and  conduct  toward  those  who  differed  in 
opinion  from  him. 

February  2,  1770. — This  morning  [says  Lady  Glen- 
orchy]  I  met  with  Dr  Webster  at  Lady  Maxwell's  to 
consult  about  the  chapel.  It  is  determined  I  am  to 
seek  an  English  Episcopal  minister  to  supply  it ;  and 
to  give  one  day  in  the  week  to  the  Methodists.5 

The  religious  meetings  [says  her  biographer]  to  be 
held  in  St  Mary's  Chapel,  appear  to  have  been  reg- 
ulated by  a  plan  laid  down  by  Lady  Glenorchy  and 
Lady  Maxwell,  with  the  assistance  of  Dr  Webster  ; 
and  divine  service  was  intended  to  be  performed  by 
Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  and  one  day  in  the  week 
by  Mr  Wesley's  preachers.     The  chapel  was  not  to  be 


1  Life,  by  Dr  Jones,  p.  131.  2  Ibid.,  p.  155. 

3  See    An  Account    of    Dr  Alexander  Webster,   by  Grace 
Webster. 

4  Dr  Jones'  Life  of  Lady  Glenorchy,  p.  132.      5  Ibid.,  p.  133. 


LADY   GLENORCHY.  165 

occupied  in  canonical  hours  ;  but  there  was  worship 
in  it  on  the  Lord's  day  at  seven  in  the  morning,  in  the 
interval  between  the  morning  and  afternoon  services  in 
the  churches,  which  was  then  much  longer  than  now, 
and  in  the  evenings,  and  in  some  of  the  evenings 
of  the  week-days.1 

It  was  probably  in  connection  with  this  arrange- 
ment that  Wesley  preached  in  Lady  Glenorchy's 
chapel  on  Sunday  morning,  May  13,  1770  ;  and 
during  his  visit  he  had  interviews  with  Lady  Glen- 
orchy  and  Dr  "Webster,  "who  always  heard  Mr 
Wesley  when  in  Edinburgh,  as  well  as  occasionally 
his  preachers."  -    May  12,  1770,  the  Diary  states  : — 

This  morning  the  Rev.  Dr  Webster  and  Mr  Wesley 
met  at  my  house  and  had  a  long  conversation  together. 
They  agreed  on  all  doctrines  on  which  they  spoke 
except  those  of  God's  decrees,  predestination,  and 
-  tints'  perseverance,  which  Mr  Wesley  does  not 
hold.  After  Mr  Wesley  was  gone  Dr  Webster  told  me, 
in  a  fair  and  candid  way,  wherein  he  disapproved  of 
Mr    W  -iit  iu Kuts.     I   must   (according  to  the 

light  I  now  have,  and  always  have  had,  ever  since 
the  Lord  was  pleased  to  awaken  me]  agree  with  Dr 
Webs! 

N  itwithstanding  this  difference,  Lady  Glenorchy 

.  to  procure  for  her  school  a  school- 

hich  he  did,  and  at  the  beginning  ol  the 

following  year  a  minister,  when  he  appointed  the 

Kichard  De  Courcy,  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 

1  I>r  Janes'  Life  of  Lady  Qlenorchy,  j>.  188. 
-  Ibid.,  p.  156.  "  Ibid.,  p,  156L 


166      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

who  had  obtained  deacon's  orders,  and  had  offici- 
ated as  a  curate.  This  was  in  February  1771,  but 
two  letters  to  Lady  Maxwell  at  this  period  show 
that  the  great  Calvinistic  controversy  from  1770, 
in  which  Wesley  was  so  fiercely  attacked,  was  not 
confined  to  England. 

London,  January  24,  1771. 
My  dear  Lady, — Although  Mr  Macnab1  is  quite 
clear  as  to  justification  by  faith,  and  is  in  general  a 
sound  and  good  preacher,  yet  I  fear  he  is  not  clear  of 
blame  in  this.  He  is  too  warm  and  impatient  of  con- 
tradiction, otherwise  he  must  be  lost  to  all  common- 
sense,  to  preach  against  final  perseverance  in  Scotland. 
From  the  first  hour  that  I  entered  the  kingdom,  it  was 
a  sacred  rule  with  me  never  to  preach  on  any  con- 
troverted point — at  least,  not  in  a  controversial  way. 
Any  one  may  see  that  this  is  only  to  put  a  sword  into 
our  enemies'  hands.  It  is  the  direct  way  to  increase 
all  their  prejudices,  and  to  make  all  our  labours  fruit- 
less. .  .  .  John  Wesley.2 

February  26,  1771. 
My  dear  Lady, — I  cannot  but  think  the  chief  reason 
of  the  little  good  done  by  our  preachers  in  Edinburgh 
is  the  opposition  which  has  been  made  by  the  ministers 
of  Edinburgh,  as  well  as  by  the  false  brethren  from 
England.  These  steeled  the  hearts  of  the  people  against 
all  the  good  impressions  which  might  otherwise  have 
been  made  ;  so  that  the  same  preachers,  by  whom  God 
has  constantly  wrought,  not  only  in  various  parts  of 
England,  but  likewise  in  the  northern  parts  of  Scot- 


1  One  of  his  preachers.     Minutes,  p.  103. 

2  Lady  Maxwell's  Life,  p.  72. 


SCOTTISH   CALVINISM.  167 

land,  were  in  Edinburgh  only  useless.  They  felt  a 
damp  upon  their  .-spirits  :  they  had  not  their  usual 
liberty  of  speech  ;  and  the  word  they  spoke  seemed  to 
rebound  upon  them,  and  not  to  sink  into  the  hearts 
of  the  hearers.  At  my  first  coming  I  usually  find 
something  of  this  myself ;  but  at  the  second  or  third 
time  of  preaching  it  is  gone. 

I  think  it  will  not  be  easy  for  any  one  to  show  us 
either  that  Christ  did  not  die  for  all,  or  that  He  is 
not  willing  as  well  as  able  to  cleanse  from  all  sin,  even 
in  this  present  world.  If  your  steady  adherence  to 
these  great  truths  be  termed  bigotry,  you  have  no  need 
to  be  ashamed.  You  are  reproached  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  the  spirit  of  glory  and  of  Christ  shall  rest  upon 
you.  Perhaps  our  Lord  may  use  you  to  soften  some  of 
the  harsh  spirits,  and  to  preserve  Lady  Glenorchy,  or 
Mr  De  Courcy,  from  being  hurt  by  them. — I  am,  my 
dear  lady,  your  affectionate  servant, 

John  Wesley.1 

These  letters  are  sufficient  to  show  the  condition 
of  affairs  in  Scotland,  and  the  battle  Wesley  had  to 
fight  for  the  larger  view  of  divine  truth  that  is 
preached  to-day,  and  of  which  he  was  then  the  most 
outstanding  pioneer.  It  must  have  been  to  him  a 
time  of  anxiety,  for  De  Courcy  joined  the  Calvinistic 
party,  and  with  them  was  left  in  sole  possession  of 
the  chapeL2     Lady  Glcnorchy's  Diary  states  : — 

TaymoutA,  Jrrne  28,  1771.— Before  I  left  Ekiinburgh 
1  dismissed  Mr  Wesley's  preachers  from  my  chapel,  as, 
from  some  writings  of  Mr  Wesley  which  fell  into  my 


1  Lady  Glenorchy \s  Life,  p.  228. 

-  Tyerman'e  Lite  of  \V.  Bley,  vol.  iii.  p.  G;"». 


168      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

hands,  and  from  the  sentiments  of  some  of  his  preachers 
of  late  officiating  there,  I  found  that  they  held  doctrines 
that  appear  to  be  erroneous.  First,  They  deny  the 
doctrines  of  imputed  righteousness,  election,  and  the 
saints'  perseverance,  which  I  think  are  clearly  revealed 
in  Scripture.  Secondly,  I  found  that  none  of  our 
Gospel  ministers  would  preach  in  the  chapel  if  they 
continued  to  have  the  use  of  the  pulpit ;  so  that,  by 
receiving  them,  I  should  exclude  those  who  were  sound 
in  the  faith,  and  thereby  frustrate  the  end  I  had  in 
view  in  opening  the  chapel,  which  was  to  have  all  who 
preached  pure  evangelical  doctrine  to  preach  there, 
of  any  sect  or  denomination  whatsoever.  Thirdly,  I 
found  by  experience  that  my  own  soul  had  been  hurt, 
and  kept  from  establishment  in  the  faith,  by  hearing- 
some  of  the  preachers,  and  I  judged  that  others  might 
be  hurt  by  them  also.1 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  Lady  Maxwell  remained 
a  supporter  of  John  Wesley,  and  a  friend  of  Lady 
Glenorchy,  who  died  on  November  11,  1771,  and 
left  her  sole  executrix  and  manager  of  her  chapels 
and  schools. 


Thirteenth  Visit,   1772. 

April  17. — "  Being  Good  Friday,  I  went  to  the 
Episcopal  chapel,  and  was  agreeably  surprised  :  not 
only  the  prayers  were  read  well,  seriously  and  dis- 
tinctly, but  the  sermon,  upon  the  sufferings  of 
Christ,  was  sound  and  unexceptionable.  Above 
all,  the  behaviour  of  the  whole  congregation,  rich 
i  Life,  p.  239. 


THIRTEENTH    SCOTTISH  VISIT.  1G9 

and  poor,  was  solemn  and  serious."  l  At  Glasgow 
he  spoke  against  "  the  miserable  bigotry  for  opin- 
ions and  modes  of  worship."  He  extended  his  la- 
bours to  Greenock  and  Port-Glasgow,'2  and  returned 
to  Glasgow,  where  he  had  pleasant  fellowship  with 
Dr  Gillies  and  other  three  Scottish  ministers.  At 
five  in  the  morning  he  had  a  large  congregation, 
"'with  the  gay  and  fashionable  among  them."3 
At  Perth  he  preached  twice  on  the  Sunday,  and 
had  a  kind  reception  from  two  of  the  Perth  min- 
isters. He  preached  at  Dunkeld,  Brechin,  and  in 
the  College  Church  of  Aberdeen  ;  on  his  return 
journey  at  Arbroath,  Dundee,  Edinburgh,  Ormis- 
ton,  Leith.  During  his  ten  days'  stay  at  Edinburgh 
his  activity  knew  no  decline  :  he  was  suffering 
from  hydrocele,  and  three  medical  men  held  a 
consultation  regarding  his  health,  yet  that  very 
day  he  opened  a  new  chapel  at  Leith,  and  two 
days  afterwards  started  for  Newcastle,  preaching 
on  the  way  at  Dunbar.  His  old  age  was  a  per- 
petual youth,  and  if  in  any  life  the  words  of  the 
prophet  had  a  fulfilment  it  was  surely  in  Wesley's  : 
"  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength  ;  they  shall  soar  with  wings  like  eagles  : 
they  shall  run,  ami  not  be  weary;  they  shall  walk, 
and  not  faint.''  When  ;it  Dunbar  In-  visited  tin- 
Rock,  "which,  in  the  horrid  reign  of  Charles 
tli-  Second,  was  the  prison  of  those  venerable  men 

1  Appendix,  \<.  272.  pendix,  j>i>.  272, 

:;  Appendix,  \>.  273. 


170      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

who  suffered  all  things  for  a  good  conscience." l 
As  he  notes  details  of  surroundings,  he  is  still  more 
impressed  with  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the  place, 
with  its  memories  of  great  struggles.  "  How  many 
prayers  did  the  holy  men  confined  here  offer  up  in 
that  holy  day !  And  how  many  thanksgivings 
should  we  return  for  all  the  liberty,  civil  and  reli- 
gious, which  we  enjoy  !  "  He  visited  also  Tantallon 
Castle  and  the  Eoman  camp.2 

His  remarks  on  the  first  volume  of  Dr  Eobertson's 
'History  of  Charles  V.'3  and  on  Beattie's  'Enquiry 
after  Truth '  are  racy  and  interesting.4 

Eeference  is  made  in  the  Journal  (p.  277)  to  the 
"  Circular  Letter  "  : — 

I  had  designed  [he  says]  to  preach  (as  usual)  at 
Provost  Dixon's,  in  Haddington,  in  the  way  to  Dunbar. 
But  the  Provost  too  had  received  light  from  the  "  Cir- 
cular Letter,"  and  durst  not  receive  these  heretics. 

Another  indirect  reference  is  : 5 — 

I  dined  at  the  minister's,  a  sensible  man,  who 
heartily  bid  us  God  speed.     But  he  soon  changed  his 

mind.     Lord   H n  informed  him  that  he  had  re- 

eived  a  letter  from  Lady  H ,  assuring  him  that 

we  were  "  dreadful  heretics,  to  whom  no  countenance 
should  be  given." 

The  "  Circular  Letter "  was  one  of  the  products 
of  the  fierce  Calvinistic  controversy,  and  was  sent 

i  Appendix,  p.  278.  2  ibid. 

3  Appendix,  p.  274.  4  Appendix,  p.  275. 

5  Appendix,  p.  276. 


"THE   CIRCULAR  LETTER."  171 

far  and  wide  throughout  the  country.  It  was  a 
proposal  to  have  a  meeting  at  the  same  time  as 
Wesley's  Conference  at  Bristol  in  1771,  of  those 
who  disapproved  of  Wesley's  Minutes  of  1770: 
uAa  the  same  are  thought  injurious  to  the  very 
fundamental  principles  of  Christianity,  it  is  further 
proposed,  that  they  go  in  a  body  to  the  said  Con- 
ference, and  insist  upon  a  formal  recantation  of  the 
said  Minutes,  and,  in  case  of  a  refusal,  that  they 

ind  publish  their  protest  against  them."  The 
letter  was  a  piece  of  extravagant  and  needless  as- 
sumption, and  did  not  meet  with  much  support, 
although  it  evidently  produced  hesitancy  far  and 
wide  among  the  people,  and  was  felt  even  in 
Scotland. 

Wesley  and  his  friends  at  the  Conference  in 
1771  met  the  doctrinal  points  raised  in  a  noble 
Christian  spirit,  and  disclaimed  the  doctrinal  inter- 
pretation put  upon  his  Minutes,  as  well  as  satisfied 
all  the  fears  of  the  Christian  conscience  that  had 

aroused  during  the  period.  And  as  the  matter 
had  become  public  and  required  a  statement,  his 
saintly  friend,  Fletcher  of  Madeley,  who  united 
brilliant  intellectual  force  and  logical  power  with 
a  piety  that  is  only  to  be  equalled  in  spiritual 
Bplendoui  with  that  of  St  Francis  of  Assisi,  pub- 
lished Vindications.       Every  one  will  respond  to 

itiful    words,   and    to    the   defence   which 

of  the  Christ-like  devotion  and  service 
of  Wesley  : — 


172      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

0,  sir,  have  we  not  fightings  enough  without  to  em- 
ploy all  our  time  and  strength  ?  Must  we  also  declare 
war  and  promote  fightings  within  ?  Must  we  catch  at 
every  opportunity  to  stab  one  another  ?  What  can  be 
more  cutting  to  an  old  minister  of  Christ  than  to  be 
traduced  as  a  dreadful  heretic,  in  printed  letters  sent 
to  the  best  men  of  the  land,  through  all  England  and 
Scotland,  and  signed  by  a  person  of  your  rank  and 
piety  ?  While  he  is  gone  to  a  neighbouring  kingdom 
to  preach  Jesus  Christ,  to  have  his  friends  prejudiced, 
his  foes  elated,  and  the  fruit  of  his  extensive  ministry 
at  the  point  of  being  blasted  ?  .  .  .  Of  the  two  great- 
est and  most  useful  ministers  I  ever  knew,  one  is  no 
more.1  The  other,  after  amazing  labours,  flies  still, 
with  unwearied  diligence,  through  the  three  kingdoms, 
calling  sinners  to  repentance.  Though  oppressed  with 
the  weight  of  near  seventy  years,  and  the  cares  of  near 
thirty  thousand  souls,  he  shames  still,  by  his  unabated 
zeal  and  immense  labours,  all  the  young  ministers  in 
England,  perhaps  in  Christendom.  He  has  generally 
blown  the  Gospel  trumpet,  and  rode  twenty  miles, 
before  most  of  the  professors  who  despise  his  labours 
have  left  their  downy  pillows.  As  he  begins  the  day, 
the  week,  the  year,  so  he  concludes  them,  still  intent 
upon  extensive  services  for  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer 
and  the  good  of  souls.  And  shall  we  lightly  lift  up 
our  pens,  our  tongues,  our  hands  against  him  ?  No  ; 
let  them  rather  forget  their  cunning.  If  we  will 
quarrel,  can  we  find  nobody  to  fall  out  with  but  the 
minister  upon  whom  God  puts  the  greatest  honour  ?  2 

While  Wesley  received  this  noble  defence  south  of 
the  Border,  notwithstanding  all  the  cry  of  "  heretic  " 

i  Whitefield,  died  September  30,  1770. 

2  Works  of  Fletcher  of  Madeley,  vol.  i.  pp.  62,  63. 


KKEEDOM  OF  PERTH  AND  ARBROATH.   173 

that  was  loudly  sounded  north  of  the  Border,  two 
Scottish  towns  presented  Wesley  with  their  freedom 
and  enrolled  him  as  an  honorary  burgess.  It  was  a 
public  acknowledgment  of  the  venerable  man,  and 
reflects  honour  on  the  towns  that  had  the  catholicity 
to  confer  it. 

&  JS,  1772. —  In  the  evening  I  preached  once 
more  at  Perth  to  a  large  and  serious  congregation. 
Afterwards  they  did  me  an  honour  I  never  thought  of 
— presented  me  with  the  freedom  of  the  city.  The 
diploma  ran  thus  : — 

"  Magistratuum  illustris  ordo  et  honorandus  sena- 
torum  coetus   inclytae  civitatis   Perthensis,  in   debiti 

amoris  et  affectus  tesseram  erga  Johannem  W y, 

immunitatibus  praefatae  civitatis,  societatis  etiam  et 
fraternitatis  aedilitiae  privilegiis  donarunt. 

"Aprilis  die  28  anno  Sal.  1772."  * 


1  "The  diploma,"  says  Mr  Moore,  "was  struck  off  from  a 
copper-plate  upon  parchment ;  the  amis  of  the  city  and  some 
of  the  words  were  illuminated,  and  flowers  painted  round  the 
borders,  which  gave  it  a  splendid  appearance." — Life  of  Wesley, 
vol.  ii.  p.  254.     The  translation  is: — 

"  The  illustrious  order  of  Magistrates,  and  the  honourable 
Court  of  Senators  (Aldermen)  of  the  famous  city  of  Perth,  as 
a  proof  of  their  well- merited  esteem  and  affection  for  John 
. .  Master  of  Arts,  late  Eellow  of  Lincoln  College  in 
Oxford,  have  invested  him  with  the  immunities  of  the  above- 
mentioned  city,  and  with  tin-  privileges  of  the  society  and 
brotherhood  of  a  burg 

177-2." 
It  is  to  be  observed  that  Wesley  modestly  omits  in  his  Diary 
the  reference  to  "  Artium   Magistrum,  nuper  Collegii  Lincoln- 
iensis,  OxonUB,  Socium." — Moore,  vol.  ii.  p.  253. 


174      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

I  question  [adds  Wesley]  whether  any  diploma  from 
the  city  of  London  be  more  pompous  or  expressed  in 
better  Latin.1 

May  6,  1772. — The  magistrates  here  also  [Arbroath] 
did  me  the  honour  of  presenting  me  with  the  freedom 
of  their  corporation.  I  value  it  as  a  token  of  their 
respect,  though  I  shall  hardly  make  any  further  use 
of  it.2 

Fourteenth  Visit,  1774. 

At  Glasgow  he  preached  on  May  13th  and 
14th  to  people  on  the  Old  Green,  "the  greatest 
part  of  whom  hear  much,  know  everything,  and 
feel  nothing,"3  and  this  physical  effort  notwith- 
standing a  constitution  far  advanced  in  years,  and 
weakened  by  a  recent  operation.  He  heard  two  ser- 
mons in  the  church  on  Sunday,  "which  contained 
much  truth,  but  were  no  more  likely  to  awaken  one 
soul  than  an  Italian  opera."4  He  preached  in  the 
evening  an  open-air  sermon  to  a  multitude  of  people 
assembled  on  the  Green.5  On  the  following  Monday 
he  preached  morning  (at  seven)  and  afternoon  in  the 
parish  church  of  Port-Glasgow,  in  the  evening  at 
Greenock.  He  was  again  at  the  Glasgow  Green  on 
Tuesday  (17th  May),  at  Edinburgh  on  the  18th, 
and  Perth  on  the  19th,  and  regrets  that  the  morning 

1  Appendix,  p.  274.  2  Appendix,  p.  276. 

3  Appendix,  p.  279. 

4  Wesley  published  an  abridgment  of  Scougal's  '  Life  of  God 
in  tbe  Soul  of  Man,'  and  a  third  edition  of  it  appeared  in  1773. 

5  Appendix,  p.  279. 


WESLEY    ON    THE   BURIAL   SERVICE.         175 

preaching  had  been  given  up  there.1  The  burial 
service  is  now  read  or  a  prayer  offered  generally  at 
the  grave,  but  it  was  not  so  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury ;  and  to  Wesley,  accustomed  to  the  beautiful 
service  of  the  Church  of  England,  it  seemed  neither 
reverent  nor  becoming  :  *2 — 

0  what  a  difference  is  there  between  the  English 
and  the  Scotch  method  of  burial  !  The  English  does 
honour  to  human  nature,  and  even  to  the  poor  re- 
mains that  were  once  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ! 
But  when  I  see  in  Scotland  a  coffin  put  into  the  earth, 
and  covered  up  without  a  word  spoken,  it  reminds  me 
of  what  was  spoken  concerning  Jehoiakim,  "  He  shall 
be  buried  with  the  burial  of  an  ass." 3 

At  Perth  he  preached  on  the  21st  and  22nd ;  but 
here,  as  elsewhere,  the  people  had  strong  opinions, 
and  were  more  open  to  debate  than  to  suffer  exhor- 
tation "  The  generality  of  the  people  here  are  so 
that  they  need  no  more  knowledge,  and  so  good 
that  they  need  no  more  religion."4  He  records  his 
impressions  of  a  tract  on  the  "Gowry  Conspiracy,"0 

1  Appendix,  p.  280.  -  Ibid. 

3  It  is  interesting  to  compare  with  Wesley's  impression  of  a 
h  funeral  that  of  the  Iiev.  Rowland  Hill.  Says  hi^  bio- 
graphy Hawick  he  tan  for  the  first  time  a  Scotch 
funeral,  conducted  without  a  prayer  or  the  presence  of  a 
minister,  and  observed  to  a  bystander,  '  Your  funerals  are  soon 
over.'  A  loquacious  old  woman  told  him  pra>]  io  086 
to  the  dead.     This  he  admitted,  b                     I  that  the  ; 

!lent  opportunity  of  doing  - 
living  if  they  could  do  nothing  for  the  dead." — Life  by  the 

*  Appendix,  p.  281.  Ibid. 


176      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN  SCOTLAND. 

on  Lord  Karnes'  Essays,1  Dr  Eeid's  Essay.2  He 
preached  further  north,  at  Aberdeen  and  Arbroath, 
and  returned  to  Edinburgh,  where  on  Sunday  he 
preached  twice,  besides  being  at  Ormiston  in  the 
morning.  Wesley  was  subjected  at  Edinburgh  to  a 
trying  experience:3  Wed.,  June  8. — "I  took  my 
leave  of  our  affectionate  friends,  and  in  the  evening 
preached  at  Dunbar."  4 

Wesley's  great  difficulty  in  Scotland  was  the  ob- 
jection to  an  itinerant  ministry.5  The  use  and 
wont  of  Scotland  were  against  it.  It  was  true  for  an 
outstanding  religious  splendour  such  as  Wesley,  "  the 
world  is  my  parish  " ;  yet  for  the  daily  work  of  the 
Church  it  is  no  less  true  that  daily  needs  assert  the 
necessity  for  a  permanent  ministry,  with  its  counter- 
principle  "  the  parish  is  my  world,"  provided  the 
need  for  a  larger  vision  combined  with  it  is  not 
forgotten.  Scottish  experience  and  demands  were 
well  expressed  by  the  words  of  Dean  Stanley  : — 

There  is  some  value  in  a  pastor  growing  up  amongst 
his  people,  a  pastor  who  has  seen  successive  genera- 
tions growing  up  around  him — when  to  the  influence 
of  his  preaching  is  added  the  far  greater  and  more 
spiritual   influence  of   a   long  life   of  good   example, 


1  Appendix,  p.  281.  One  of  Wesley's  publications  in  1774  was 
'Thoughts  upon  Necessity.'  In  it  he  states,  "  I  cannot  believe 
the  noblest  creature  in  the  visible  world  to  be  only  a  fine  piece 
of  clockwork." 

2  Appendix,  p.  283.  3  Appendix,  pp.  283,  284. 

4  Appendix,  p.  284. 

5  Wesleyan  Methodism,  by  Isaac  Taylor,  pp.  62,  244. 


THE   SCOTCH   AND   ITINERANT   PREACHERS.      177 

known  and  loved  by  the  fathers  and  children  of  all 
the  homes  that  are  gathered  within  reach  of  the  parish 
church.  Yet  we  ought  all  to  feel  that  there  is,  never- 
theless, such  a  thing  as  the  necessity  of  enlightening 
and  refreshing  these  more  stationary  pastorates  by  the 
introduction  of  new  influences,  new  hopes,  new  instru- 
ments, such  as  John  "Wesley  had  in  mind  when  he 
conceived  his  design  of  itinerant  preachers.1 

"Wesley's  presence  brought  new  inspiration,  but 
the  Scots  evidently  were  asserting  their  desire  for 
fixed  pastorates.  One  of  Wesley's  letters,  written 
in  1774,  indicates  this  as  well  as  Wesley's  answer 
to  the  claim. 

I  have  written  [says  he  in  a  letter  of  date  October 
16,  1774]  to  Dr  Hamilton,  that  Edinburgh  and  Dunbar 
must  be  supplied  by  one  preacher.  While  I  live,  it- 
inerant preachers  shall  be  itinerants  ;  I  mean,  if  they 
choose  to  remain  in  connection  with  me.  The  society 
at  Greenock  are  entirely  at  their  own  disposal  ;  they 
may  either  have  a  preacher  between  them  and  Glasgow, 
or  bone  at  all.  But  more  than  one  between  them  they 
cannot  have.  1  have  too  much  regard  both  for  the 
bodies  and  souls  of  our  preachers  to  let  them  be  con- 
lined  to  one  place  any  more.  I  have  weighed  the 
matter,  and  will  serve  the  Scots  as  we  do  the  English, 
or  leave  them.2 

The  following  is  an  interesting  account  of  Wesley, 

□  by  one  of  his  Edinburgh  preachers,  Joseph 

n,  to  whom  tin-  above  letter  was  addressed  : — 

I  was  constantly  with  him   for  a  week  ;  I   had  the 


ican  Addresses,  p.  11. 

Works,  vol.  xii.  | 
M 


178      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

opportunity  of  examining  narrowly  his  spirit  and  con- 
duct ;  and,  I  assure  you,  I  am  more  than  ever  per- 
suaded he  is  a  None-such.  I  know  not  his  fellow, 
first,  for  abilities,  natural  and  acquired  ;  and,  secondly, 
for  his  incomparable  diligence  in  the  application  of 
those  abilities  to  the  best  of  employments.  His  lively 
fancy,  tenacious  memory,  clear  understanding,  ready 
elocution,  manly  courage,  indefatigable  industry,  really 
amaze  me.  I  admire,  but  wish  in  vain  to  imitate,  his 
diligent  improvement  of  every  moment  of  time  ;  his 
wonderful  exactness  even  in  little  things  ;  the  order 
and  regularity  wherewith  he  does  and  treats  every- 
thing he  takes  in  hand  ;  together  with  his  quick  de- 
spatch of  business,  and  calm,  cheerful  serenity  of  soul. 
I  ought  not  to  omit  to  mention,  what  is  very  manifest 
to  all  who  know  him,  his  resolution,  which  no  shocks 
of  opposition  can  shake  ;  his  patience,  which  no  length 
of  trials  can  weary  ;  his  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  good  of  man,  which  no  waters  of  persecution  or 
tribulation  have  yet  been  able  to  quench.  Happy 
man  !  Long  hast  thou  borne  the  burden  and  heat 
of  the  day,  amidst  the  insults  of  foes  and  the  base 
treachery  of  seeming  friends  ;  but  thou  shalt  rest  from 
thy  labours,  and  thy  works  shall  follow  thee  !  * 


Fifteenth   ^isit,  1776. 

Wesley  was  now  seventy-three  years  of  age,  and 
his  last  seven  visits  to  Scotland  are  marvels  of 
activity.  His  diary  gives  a  record  of  twenty-two 
days'  work,  and  it  is  almost  inexplicable  when  we 
recall  that  it  was  done  in  the  days  of  no  railways. 

i  Methodist  Magazine,  1825,  p.  386. 


AT   ST   ANDREWS.  179 

Wesley  generally  rode,  but  in  his  later  years  he 
used  a  carriage.  The  venerable  apostle's  old  age 
was  indeed  a  perpetual  youth,  sustained  by  invisible 
rills  of  spiritual  strength,  from  waiting  upon  God. 

His  impressions  and  notes  of  St  Andrews  in  1776 
will  be  read  with  interest.1  Of  course  it  was  to  be 
expected  that,  trained  in  Oxford  with  its  resident 
life,  he  would  not  be  able  to  understand  or  sympa- 
thise with  the  Scottish  University  system  :  "In  the 
English  colleges  every  one  may  reside  all  the  year, 
as  all  my  pupils  did  ;  and  I  should  have  thought 
myself  little  better  than  a  highwayman  if  I  had  not 
lectured  them  every  day  in  the  year  but  Sundays."  2 

Wesley  interpreted  some  passages  of  the  Old 
Testament  too  literally,  and  once  thought  that  to 
give  up  the  belief  in  witchcraft  was  to  give  up 
belief  in  the  Bible.3  A  great  man,  while  moulding 
and  guiding  his  age,  is  sometimes  conditioned  by  it, 
and  we  read  : — 

I  read  over  Mr  Pennant's  'Journey  through  Scot- 
land,-* a  lively  as  well  as  judicious  writer  ;  but  I  cannot 


1  appendix,  pp.  288,  289. 

-  appendix,  p.  2S9.  Wesley  reports  the  date  of  St  Rogulus' 
Tower,  but  the  date  is  too  early.  I)r  Joseph  Robertson,  fol- 
lowed by  other  authorities,  places  it  between  the  years  1127 
ami  1144:  what  Wesley  adds  regarding  the  Tower  may  be  true 
bag  the  early  Celtic  chapel  at  St  Andrews,  which  was 
ilnmba  and  St  Cainnech  at  the  close  of  the 
sixth  centnry  (Skene's  Celtic  Scotland,  vol.   ii.  p.  187). 

a  The  Bible  :  its  Meaning  and  Supremacy,  by  Dean  Farrar, 
p.  180. 


180      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

give  up  to  all  the  Deists  in  Great  Britain  the  existence 
of  witchcraft,  till  I  give  up  the  credit  of  all  history, 
sacred  and  profane.  And  at  the  present  time  I  have 
not  only  as  strong,  but  stronger  proofs  of  this,  from  eye 
and  ear  witnesses,  than  I  have  of  murder  ;  so  that  I  can- 
not rationally  doubt  of  one  any  more  than  the  other.1 

In  this  respect  many  other  great  men  were,  in  the 
period,  like  him. 


Sixteenth  Visit,   1779. 

The  places  visited  were  nearly  the  same  as  in 
the  former  journey.  We  find  the  venerable  man, 
ladened  with  the  weight  and  the  honour  of  seventy- 
six  years,  preaching  in  the  open  air  by  the  river-side 
at  Glasgow,  "  to  a  huge  multitude  of  serious  people."  2 
The  following  Thursday,  after  preaching  on  his 
journey,  he  preached  at  Aberdeen  and  rejoiced  in  a 
people  "that  can  feel  as  well  as  hear."  Next  day 
he  was  at  Inverness  and  Inverurie,  where  he  preached 
"  to  a  considerable  number  of  plain  country  people, 
just  like  those  we  see  in  Yorkshire.  My  spirit  was 
much  refreshed  among  them."  He  was  always 
thoughtful  for  others,  and  on  his  way  to  Strath- 
bogie  we  find  the  following  instance  of  it.  "Mr 
Brackenbury  was  much  fatigued,  so  I  desired  him 
to  go  into  the  chaise,  and  I  rode  forward  to  Keith," 3 
Wesley's  chaise  was  also  his  study,  and  contained 

i  Appendix,  p.  288.  2  Appendix,  p.  290. 

3  Appendix,  p.  291. 


WESLEY   IN   THE   NORTH.  181 

his  writing-desk  ;  and  although  travelling,  he  was 
always  at  work,  editing  his  '  Christian  Library  '  or 
writing  articles  for  his  Magazine,  or  guiding  and 
counselling  his  preachers  or  people.  If  genius  is 
the  power  to  do  hard  work,  then  John  Wesley  is 
unique,  for  every  hour  had  to  him  a  duty.  On 
Sunday,  6th  June,  he  preached  in  the  parish  church 
of  Keith ;  at  Forres  he  was  the  guest  of  Sir  Lud- 
ovic  Grant.  He  conducted  prayers  in  his  house  : 
"  Thus  ended  this  comfortable  day  !  So  has  God 
provided  for  us  in  a  strange  land."  1  The  minister 
of  Nairn  gave  him  a  hearty  welcome,  and  on  Tues- 
day the  8th  he  preached  in  the  parish  church, 
which  was  full  from  end  to  end.  "I  have  sel- 
dom seen  a  Scotch  congregation  so  sensibly  affected ; 
indeed  it  seemed  that  God  smote  rocks,  and  brake 
the  hearts  of  stone  in  pieces."2  At  Inverness  he 
spent  nearly  two  days,  counselling  and  helping 
his  society :  "In  the  morning  we  had  an  affection- 
ate parting,  perhaps  to  meet  no  more."  3  He  com- 
menced his  return  journey  on  the  9th,  preaching 
in  the  course  of  it,  and  reached  Edinburgh  on  the 
lGth,  where  he  laboured  for  four  days. 

The  Minutes  of  Wesley's  Conference,  held  at  Lon- 
don in  1779,  contain  the  following  directions  to  his 
preachers  in  Scotland  : — 

What  can  ]>>'  done  to  revive  the  work  in  Scotland  '. 
A.  1.   Preach  abroad  as  much  as  possible. 


Appendix,  p.  292.  -  [bid.  ■  Ibid. 


182      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

2.  Try  every  town  and  village. 

3.  Visit  every  member  of  every  society  at  home. 

4.  Let  the  preachers  at   Dundee  and  Arbroath 

never  stay  at  one  place  more  than  a  week 
at  a  time. 

5.  Let  each  of  them  once  a  quarter  visit  Perth  and 

Dunkeld,  and  the  intermediate  villages.1 

During  his  stay  at  Edinburgh  in  1779,  Wesley 
had  a  call  from  Boswell,  who  was  anxious  to  con- 
sult him  on  a  curious  matter  in  which  he  was  inter- 
ested.    Boswell  says : — 

I  wished  to  be  made  acquainted  with  Mr  John 
Wesley ;  for  though  I  differed  from  him  in  some 
points,  I  admired  his  various  talents  and  loved  his 
pious  zeal.  At  my  request,  therefore,  Dr  Johnson 
gave  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him. 

"  To  the  Reverend  Mr  John  Wesley. 

"  Sir, — Mr  Boswell,  a  gentleman  who  has  been  long 
known  to  me,  is  desirous  of  being  known  to  you,  and 
has .  asked  this  recommendation,  because  I  think  it 
very  much  to  be  wished  that  worthy  and  religious  men 
should  be  acquainted  with  each  other. — I  am,  sir,  your 
most  humble  servant,  Sam.  Johnson. 

"MayZ,  1779." 

Mr  Wesley  [Boswell  adds]  being  in  the  course  of  his 
ministry  at  Edinburgh,  I  presented  this  letter  to  him, 
and  was  very  politely  received.2 


1  Minutes,  p.  141.  2  Life  of  Johnson,  vol.  v.  p.  85. 


VISITS  TO  SCOTTISH  TOWNS  AND  VILLAGES.       183 


Seventeenth  Visit,  1780. 

This  visit  was  a  short  one,  and  uneventful.  It 
was  limited  to  the  Edinburgh  neighbourhood,  and 
the  references  to  Holyrood,1  Roslin  Castle  and 
Chapel,  and  Queen  Mary  2  are  very  interesting. 

Eighteenth  Visit,  1782. 

He  preached  again  at  Dunbar  :  while  at  Edin- 
burgh he  was  the  guest  of  Lady  Maxwell  at  Saugh- 
ton  Hall,  and  addressed  her  neighbours,  as  well  as 
the  school  which  she  supported.  The  ambitiosa 
Has  interests  him.3  The  reticence  of  the 
Scottish  people  in  religious  matters — oftenest  most 
silent  when  most  impressed — grieved  him,  as  it 
has  many  another.  "  I  seldom  speak  anywhere  so 
roughly  as  in  Scotland,  and  yet  most  of  the  people 
hear  and  hear,  and  are  just  as  they  were  before." 
Although  seventy-nine  years  of  age,  he  continued 
his  preaching  tour  to  Dundee,  Arbroath,  and  Aber- 
deen, where  he  heard  pleasant  news  of  his  work 
prospering  in  the  north.  In  Xewburgh,  a  small  fish- 
rillage  in   .'.  oahire,  "not  only  men  and 

women,  but  a  considerable  number  of  children,  are 
either  rejoicing  in  God,  or  panting  after  Him."4 
Ee  was  four  days  at  Aberdeen,  and  on  his  return 
journey  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  arrived  on  the  12th. 

i  Appendix,  p.  .  -  [bid. 

pendix,  p.  !  4  Appendix,  i».  297. 


184      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

preached  at  Arbroath  and  Dundee.  His  work  at 
Edinburgh  rejoiced  him.  He  went  to  Kelso  on  the 
1 4th,  where  he  was  the  guest  of  Dr  Douglas :  the 
need  for  the  stimulus  of  fellowship  in  religion  strikes 
him  as  the  needful,  and  he  adds,  "How  shall  they 
keep  awake,  unless  they  'that  fear  the  Lord  speak 
often  together '  1 " 

At  Kelso  he  fell  head  foremost  down  the  stair, 
but  escaped  unhurt.  "  Does  not  God  give  His 
angels  charge  over  us,"  the  saintly  man  adds,  "to 
keep  us  in  all  our  ways?" 

Probably  at  this  time  he  had  among  his  hearers 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  then  a  boy,  who  wrote  to  Southey, 
in  a  letter  dated  Abbotsford,  April  4,  1819  : — 

When  I  was  about  twelve  years  old  I  heard  Wesley 
preach  more  than  once,  standing  on  a  chair  in  Kelso 
churchyard.  He  was  a  most  venerable  figure,  but  his 
sermons  were  vastly  too  colloquial  for  the  taste  of 
Saunders.  He  told  many  excellent  stories.  One  I 
remember  which  he  said  had  happened  to  him  at 
Edinburgh.  "  A  drunken  dragoon,"  said  Wesley,  "  was 
commencing  an  assertion  in  military  fashion,  '  G — d 
eternally  d — n  me,'  just  as  I  was  passing.  I  touched 
the  poor  man  on  the  shoulder,  and  when  he  turned 
round  fiercely,  said  calmly,  '  You  mean,  "  God  bless 
you." '  "  In  the  mode  of  telling  the  story  he  failed  not 
to  make  us  sensible  how  much  his  patriarchial  appear- 
ance and  mild,  yet  bold,  rebuke  overawed  the  soldier, 
who  touched  his  hat,  thanked  him,  and,  I  think,  came 
to  chapel  that  evening. l 


1  Lockhart's  Life,  vol.  vi.  pp.  45,  46, 


Ills   BIRTHDAY.  185 

"Wesley's  activity  has  no  parallel.  On  his 
eightieth  birthday  (June  28,   1782)  he  adds:— 

I  entered  into  my  eightieth  year  ;  but,  blessed  be 
God,  my  time  is  not  "  labour  and  sorrow."  I  find  no 
more  pain  or  bodily  infirmities  than  at  five-and-twenty. 
This  I  still  impute — 1.  To  the  power  of  God,  fitting 
me  for  what  He  calls  me  to.  2.  To  my  still  travelling 
four  or  five  thousand  miles  a-year.  3.  To  my  sleeping 
night  or  day,  whenever  I  want  it.  4.  To  my  rising  at 
a  set  hour  (4  a.m.)  And  5.  To  my  constant  preaching, 
particularly  in  the  morning.1 

And  yet  until  1790  he  still  faced  the  colder  climate 
in  Scotland  ;  and  at  eighty  years  of  age  visited  Hol- 
land, where  he  was  well  received.  The  following 
year  he  adds  : — 

I  have  this  day  [June  28,  1783]  lived  fourscore  years, 

and,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  my  eyes  are  not  waxed  dim; 

and  what  little  strength  of  body  or  mind  1  had  thirty 

a  ^ince,  just  the  same  I  have  now.     God  grant  I 

may  never  live  to  l>e  useless  !     Rather  may  I 

"  My  body  with  my  charge  lay  down, 
And  cease  at  once  to  work  and  live."  - 


Nineteenth  Vi.-it,  1784. 

Wesley  arrived  at  Edinburgh  on  April  24,  1784, 
and  his  activity  is  noteworthy. 

On  the  25th  ]i<-  attended  sermon  at  the  Tolbooth 
Church,  preached  at  Lady  Maxwell's  house  at  four 
in  th<-  afternoon,  and  at  six  in  the  evening  in  his 
1  Diary  at  data.  -  Diary  at  date. 


186      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

own  chapel.  "I  am  amazed  at  this  people.  Use 
the  most  cutting  words,  and  apply  them  in  the  most 
pointed  way,  still  they  hear,  but  feel  no  more  than 
the  seats  they  sit  upon." 1  On  Monday,  in  the 
evening,  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  morning  and 
evening,  he  preached  at  Glasgow ;  on  the  Thursday 
he  preached  at  four  in  Glasgow  and  in  the  evening 
at  Edinburgh.  On  the  30th  he  preached  at  Perth 
— "  the  sweetest  place  in  all  North  Britain,  unless 
perhaps  Dundee"  —  and  at  five  o'clock  the  next 
morning  (May  1),  afterwards  pressing  on  to  Dun- 
dee, where  he  preached  in  the  evening.  On  the 
3rd  he  reached  Arbroath,  and  was  delighted  with 
his  little  society.  On  the  4th  he  was  at  Aberdeen, 
where  he  grieves  over  his  preachers  giving  up  the 
morning  services,  and  exhorts  them  to  restore  the 
morning  work  and  to  stay  less  in  the  one  place. 
"Many  were  faint  and  weak  for  want  of  morning 
preaching  and  prayer -meetings,  of  which  I  found 
scarce  any  traces  in  Scotland."2  Thursday,  6th 
May,  "We  had  the  largest  congregation  at  five 
which  I  have  seen  since  I  came  into  the  kingdom." 
He  immediately  afterwards  set  out  for  Old  Meldrum, 
where  he  was  the  guest  of  Lady  Banff,  and  preached 
twice  in  the  district.  He  preached  at  Keith  on  the 
evening  of  the  7th  and  the  morning  of  the  8th  May  ; 
arriving  at  Elgin  in  the  afternoon,  he  pressed  on- 
wards towards  Forres,  where  he  gave  a  helpful  visit 
to  Sir  Ludovic  Grant,  and  preached  twice  the  fol- 
1  Appendix,  p.  298.  2  Appendix,  p.  300. 


SCOTTISH    WELCOMES.  187 

lowing  Sunday.  On  Monday,  10th  May,  he  set  out 
for  Inverness,  and  to  aid  the  horses  "  walked  about 
twelve  miles  and  a  half  of  the  way  through  heavy 
rain.  But,  blessed  be  God,  I  was  no  more  tired 
than  when  I  set  out  from  Xairn." l  He  preached  at 
Inverness  on  the  evening  of  the  10th,  and  at  5  a.m. 
and  in  the  evening  on  the  11th.  There  is  a  solemn 
pathos  in  the  words  of  the  venerable  man  :  "  We 
had  then  a  solemn  parting,  as  we  could  hardly  expect 
to  meet  again  in  the  present  world."  On  the  12th 
he  was  again  at  wSir  Ludovic  Grant's  house,  and 
preached  at  Elgin  twice — on  this  and  the  following 
evening. 

On  Friday,  14th,  he  read  prayers  and  preached  in 
the  Episcopal  church  at  Banff  about  two,  and  at  ten 
in  Lady  Banff's  dining-room  at  Fort-glen.  On  the 
15th  he  arrived  at  Aberdeen,  and  on  the  way  was 
interested  in  reading  Fingal's  poems.2  On  Sunday 
the  16th  he  preached  at  Newbuigh  in  the  morning; 
at  Trinity  Chapel,  Aberdeen,  in  the  afternoon  ;  and 
at  five  in  the  evening  in  his  own  chapel.  On  the 
17th  he  was  at  Arbroath ;  on  the  18th  he  preached 
at  Dundee.  On  the  19th  he  was  at  Melville  Castle 
■  guest  of  the  Leven  family,  and  preached  there 
in  the  evening. :;     On  the  21st  he  was  at  Edinburgh, 

1  Appendix,  p.  •-•  Appendix,  p.  303. 

Commissioner  to 

the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  from  1711  to 

David,  Earl  of  Leven,  and  afterwards  Earl  of  Leven  and 

MelTiDe,  was  Commissioner  from  1783  to  1801   (Acts  of  the 

General  Assembly,  pp.  1204,  1206). 


188      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

and  found  many  in  his  society  "  alive  to  God." J 
On  the  22nd  he  addressed  the  scholars  in  the  school 
supported  by  his  friend  and  helper,  Lady  Maxwell. 
On  Sunday,  23rd,  he  attended  service  at  the  Tol- 
booth  Church  in  the  morning,  at  the  old  Episcopal 
chapel  in  the  afternoon,  and  preached  in  the  evening. 
On  the  24th  and  25th  he  preached  at  Dunbar;  on 
the  26  th  at  Berwick -on -Tweed ;  on  the  27  th  at 
Kelso.2     This  is  a  marvellous  record  of  work  for  one 

1  Appendix,  p.  304. 

2  Two  Seceding  ministers  at  Kelso  (Appendix,  p.  305)  did  not 
behave  generously  towards  Wesley,  but  it  is  interesting  to  record 
the  following  kindly  action  done  by  Wesley  towards  a  Secession 
congregation  in  Edinburgh.  The  Bristo  Street  Church,  Edin- 
burgh, disagreed  on  the  appointment  of  a  minister,  and  the 
minority  desired  the  Rev.  Dr  James  Hall :  they  sought  the 
right  to  worship  in  Wesley's  chapel.  Says  the  late  Rev.  Prin- 
cipal Cairns  in  his  Centenary  Letter:  "It  was  in  the  Low 
Calton,  under  the  shadow  of  where  the  present  Post  -  Office 
stands,  but  in  a  humble  block  of  buildings  vulgarly  called  the 
'  Saut-Backet,'  from  its  resemblance  to  a  wooden  salt-cellar  still 
used  in  some  parts  of  Scotland.  There  the  Seceders  were 
allowed  by  the  Methodists  to  worship  at  a  separate  hour,  pay- 
ing a  rent  of  half  a  guinea  each  Sabbath,  and  'ten  pounds 
besides  for  liberty  to  set  [let]  the  seats.'  This  continued  for 
one  year  or  more,  from  1785  till  the  end  of  1786,  when  these 
Seceders  went  off  to  the  new  church  built  by  them  in  Rose 
Street,  where  Dr  Hall  came  to  minister.  Now  the  interesting 
thing  is  that  all  these  arrangements,  as  to  the  use  of  this 
Methodist  chapel,  were  made  with  the  knowledge  and  con- 
currence of  John  Wesley  himself,  six  years  before  his  death, 
and  when  the  whole  Connexional  property  was  still  in  his 
hands.  How  little  could  he  have  foreseen  that  this  Presby- 
terian separation  was  to  grow  up  into  three  large  and  flourishing 
congregations — Rose  Street,  Broughton  Place,  and  Palmerston 
Place — all  in  Edinburgh,  each  with  a  high  name  in  connection 
with  Christian  work  at  home  and  abroad." — Centenary  Sermons 
and  Addresses,  p.  426. 


ORDINATIONS    FOR   SCOTLAND.  1S9 

who  was  at  the  time  nearly  eighty-two  years  of  age  : 
the  more  marvellous  when  it  is  recalled  that  the 
Scottish  visits  were  but  as  little  breaks  in  the  life 
of  one  who  knew  not  what  a  holiday  was  apart 
from  his  work,  and  who  sustained  it  at  the  same 
high  level  of  activity  for  over  fifty  years,  writing, 
corresponding,  superintending  at  the  same  time. 

One  cannot  read  the  narratives  of  the  later  jour- 
neys without  observing  the  tender  feeling  expressed 
at  the  partings,  especially  at  Inverness,  the  most 
northerly  point  that  he  reached.  Wesley  prepared 
for  what  must  very  soon  come  to  one  so  far  advanced 
in  life;  and  on  February  28,  1784,  executed  his 
deed  of  declaration,  which  a  few  days  afterwards 
was  enrolled  in  the  High  Court  of  Chancery.1  In 
1784  Coke  and  Ashbury  were  ordained  as  super- 
intendents for  the  Methodists  in  America,  and 
witli  regard  to  ordinations  for  Scotland  his  Diary 
-  : — 

1785.      August  I.  —  Having  with  a  few  select  friends 

weighed   the   matter    thoroughly,   I   yielded   to   their 

judgment,   and    set    apart    three    of   our    well  -  tried 

preachers — John     Pawson,    Thomas     Hanby,    Joseph 

»r — to  minister  in  Scotland. 

At  the  Conference  of  1786  he  ordained  two  others. 

A  year  later  [sayB  Mr  Tyerman]  five  others  were 
ordaiiu-d:  in  1788,  when  Wesley  was  in  Scotland, 
John  Barber  and  •'  ived  ordination 

at  his   hands  :  and  at  the  ensuing    Conference 


1  Tyernian's  Life,  vol.  iii.  p.  418. 


190      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

others,  including  Alexander  Mather,  who  was  ordained 
to  the  office,  not  only  of  deacon  and  elder,  but  of 
superintendent.  On  Ash  Wednesday  in  1789  Wesley 
ordained  Henry  Moore  and  Thomas  Rankin  ;  and  this, 
we  believe,  completes  the  list  of  those  upon  whom 
Wesley  laid  his  hands.  All  these  ordinations  were 
in  private,  and  many  of  them  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  Some  of  the  favoured  ones  were  intended 
for  Scotland  ;  some  for  foreign  missions  ;  and  a  few, 
as  Mather,  Moore,  and  Rankin,  were  employed  in 
England.  In  most  instances,  probably  in  all,  they 
were  ordained  deacons  on  the  one  day  ;  and,  on  the 
day  following,  received  the  ordination  of  elders,  Wesley 
giving  to  each  letters  testimonial.1 

Wesley  thus  explains  his  action  for  Scotland  : — 

After  Dr  Coke's  return  from  America,  many  of  our 
friends  begged  I  would  consider  the  case  of  Scotland, 
where  we  had  been  labouring  for  many  years,  and  had 
seen  so  little  fruit  of  our  labours.  Multitudes,  indeed, 
have  set  out  well,  but  they  were  soon  turned  out  of 
the  way  ;  chiefly  by  their  ministers  either  disputing 
against  the  truth  or  refusing  to  admit  them  to  the 
Lord's  Supper,  yea,  or  to  baptise  their  children,  unless 
they  would  promise  to  have  no  fellowship  with  the 
Methodists.  Many  who  did  so  soon  lost  all  they  had 
gained,  and  became  more  the  children  of  hell  than 
before.  To  prevent  this  I  at  length  consented  to  take 
the  same  step  with  regard  to  Scotland  which  I  had 
done  with  regard  to  America.  But  this  is  not  a 
separation  from  the  Church  at  all.  Not  from  the 
Church  of  Scotland,  for  we  were  never  connected  there- 
with any  further  than   we   are   now  ;   nor  from  the 


Life  and  Times  of  Wesley,  vol.  ii.  pp.  441,  442. 


OKDINATIONS  FOR  SCOTLAND.      191 

Church  of  England,  for  this  is  not  concerned  in  the 
steps  which  are  taken  in  Scotland.  Whatever  then  is 
done  in  America  or  Scotland,  is  no  separation  from 
the  Church  of  England.  I  have  no  thought  of  this  : 
1  have  many  objections  against  it.  It  is  a  totally 
different  case.  "  But  for  all  this,  is  it  not  possible 
there  may  be  such  a  separation  after  you  are  dead  1 " 
Undoubtedly  it  is.  But  what  I  said  at  our  first 
Conference  above  forty  years  ago,  I  say  still  :  "  I  dare 
not  omit  doing  what  good  I  can  while  I  live,  for  fear  of 
evils  that  may  follow  when  I  am  dead. "  J 

In  ordaining  ministers  for  America  and  Scotland 
Mr  Jackson],  Mr  Wesley  did  not  think  that  his 
only  justification  arose  from  the  facts  of  the  case.  He 
believed  that  the  act  was  right  in  itself,  as  being!  in 
full  accordance  with  the  doctrine  of  Holy  Script" ire 
and  the  practice  of  the  early  Christians.  It  had  long 
been  his  conviction  that,  in  the  apostolic  churches, 
Presbyters  and  Bishops  were  of  the  same  order,  and 
therefore  had  an  equal  right  to  ordain.2 

"When  sending  these  ordained  ministers  into 
Scotland,"  says  Mr  Smith,  the  Wesleyan  historian, 
••  Wesley  advised  the  societies  there  to  use  his 
abridged  form  of  Common  Prayer."3  It  was  never 
popular  in  Scotland. 

Charles  Wesley  was  of  the   same  mind  as  Lord 

Mansfield,    that   "ordination   was    separation,"   but 

John  Wesley  would  not  acknowledge  it.4     Among 

his  last  utterances  was : — 

1  M  786,  ]>.  678. 

.  vol.  ii.  pp.  384,  385. 
tory  of  Wesleyan  Methodism,  vol.  i.  p.  526. 
4  Wesley    allows    that    he    deviated    from    Miuivh    mlei    in 
"preaching  abroad,"  "praying  extempore,"  in  forming  so. 


192      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Many  will  be  so  bold  and  injudicious  as  to  form  a 
separate  party,  which  will  dwindle  into  a  dry,  dull, 
separate  sect.  In  flat  opposition  to  them,  I  declare 
once  more,  that  I  live  and  die  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  that  none  who  regard  my  judgment 
will  ever  separate  from  it.1 


T^l^tieth  Visit,  1786. 

Wesley  was  now  eighty-three  years  of  age.  He 
reached  Glasgow  on  May  13,  and  spent  three 
days  there  "fully  employed."  On  the  17th  and 
18th  he  was  at  Edinburgh,  where  he  had  "much 
and  pleasant  work."  On  the  19th  he  was  at 
Dundee;  and  the  20th  and  21st  at  Arbroath,  where 
he  "  spent  the  Lord's  day  in  the  Lord's  work."  On 
Jhe  22nd  he  left  Arbroath  at  3.30  a.m.,  and  arrived 
Sarly  at  Aberdeen  :  he  spent  two  days  at  his  work 
there,  and  "had  an  exceeding  solemn  parting,  as  I 

and  employing  lay  preachers,  but  he  said:  "All  this  is  not 
separating  from  the  Church.  So  far  from  it  that,  whenever  I 
have  opportunity,  I  attend  the  Church  service  myself,  and 
advise  all  our  societies  so  to  do.  Nevertheless,  the  generality 
even  of  religious  people  naturally  think  'I  am  inconsistent.' 
And  they  cannot  but  think  so,  unless  they  observe  my  two 
principles.  The  one,  that  I  dare  not  separate  from  the  Church, 
that  I  believe  it  would  be  a  sin  so  to  do  ;  the  other,  that  I 
believe  it  would  be  a  sin  not  to  vary  from  it  in  the  points  above 
mentioned.  I  say,  put  these  two  principles  together— first,  I 
will  not  separate  from  the  Church  ;  yet,  secondly,  in  cases  of 
necessity,  I  will  vary  from  it — and  inconsistency  vanishes  away. 
I  have  been  true  to  my  profession  from  1730  to  this  day  " 
(1790).— Tyerman's  Life,  vol.  iii.  p.  636. 
1  Overton's  Life,  p.  212. 


WESLEY   ON   CASTLEHILL   AT   EDINBURGH.       193 

reminded  them  that  we  could  hardly  expect  to  see 
each  other's  face  any  more  till  we  met  in  Abraham's 
bosom."1  The  weather  was  stormy  on  the  return 
journey,  and  he  reached  Arbroath  soon  after  six  on 
the  25th,  where  he  addressed  a  "large  and  deeply 
attentive  "  congregation.  In  crossing  the  Tay  he 
encountered  heavy  weather  —  "  the  wind  was  so 
strong  that  the  boat  could  scarcely  keep  above 
water.  However,  our  great  Pilot  brought  us  safe 
to  land  between  one  and  two  in  the  morning." 2 
On  Saturday  27th  he  pressed  through  Fife  and  had 
a  pleasant  passage  to  Leith.  "After  preaching,  I 
walked  to  my  lovely  lodging  at  Coates  and  found 
rest  was  sweet." 

On  Sunday,  28th  May,  he  preached  three  times 
at  Edinburgh  :  morning  and  evening  in  his  own 
chapel,  and  at  noon  on  the  Castlehill.  "  I  never 
saw  such  a  congregation  there  before.  The  chair 
was  placed  just  opposite  to  the  sun ;  but  I  soon 
forgot  it  while  I  expounded  these  words,  'I  saw 
the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God.' "  In 
the  history  of  missions  there  is  nothing  like  this: 
perhaps  some  day  a  gifted  painter  may  yet  produce 
a  suitable  memorial  of  the  scene — the  venerable 
man  of  eighty-three  declaring  his  message  in  the 
open  air  to  a  large  multitude  on  the  Castlehill  of 
Edinburgh.  Genius  may  yet  do  it,  and  the  work 
would  not  fail  to  enlarge  and  inspire  those  privi- 
leged to  see  it. 

1  Appendix,  p. !  -  [bid. 

N 


194      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Tues.  30. — I  had  the  happiness  of  conversing  with 
the  Earl  of  Haddington  and  his  Lady  at  Dunbar.  I 
could  not  but  observe  both  the  easiness  of  his  behav- 
iour (such  as  we  find  in  all  the  Scottish  nobility)  and 
the  fineness  of  his  appearance,  greatly  set  off"  by  a  milk- 
white  head  of  hair.1 

On  Wednesday  31st  May  he  preached  at  Berwick- 
on- Tweed,  and  thence  continued  his  journey 
southwards. 

Scotland  always  gave  Wesley  a  respectful  recep- 
tion, and  he  preached  in  many  of  the  Scottish 
parish  churches  when  they  were  closed  to  him  in 
England.  But  goodness  and  faithfulness  to  an 
overmastering  ideal  like  his,  and  the  inestimable 
impulse  he  gave  to  the  religion  of  England  and 
Ireland,  disarmed  the  opposition  and  brought  the 
due  tribute,  even  in  the  eighteenth  century. 

During  the  last  six  years  of  his  life  [says  Mr  Overton, 
the  present  occupant  of  his  father's  pulpit  at  Epworth], 
he  was  universally  treated  with  the  utmost  reverence. 
He  was  no  more  suspected  of  being  a  Jacobite,  a 
Papist,  or — worst  of  all — an  enthusiast.  He  himself 
was  utterly  amazed  at  the  change.  "  I  am  become," 
he  writes  in  1785,  "  I  know  not  how,  an  honourable 
man.  The  scandal  of  the  cross  is  ceased  ;  and  all  the 
kingdom,  rich  and  poor,  Papists  and  Protestants, 
behave  with  courtesy ;  nay,  with  seeming  goodwill." 
This  was  written  respecting  Ireland,  but  it  was  just 
the  same  in  England.  He  had  more  invitations  to 
preach  in  churches  than  he  could  possibly  accept ;  and 


Appendix,  p.  30/ 


WESLEY'S   LOSS   OF   EARLY   FRIENDS.        195 

the   last   pages  of  his  journal  arc  full  of  notices  of 
churches  in  which  he  officiated.1 

In  a  letter  dated  March  12,  1786,  from  Bristol, 
Wesley  approved  of  an  appeal  made  for  funds  to 
send  missionaries  to  "  the  Highlands  of  Scotland," 
with  other  places ;  '2  but  this  work  was  left  for  Dr 
Adam  Clarke  to  carry  out. 

W< -sley,  we  have  already  said,  ordained  preachers 
for  Scotland,  and  in  writing  one  of  them,  John 
Pawson,  he  had  addressed  him  as  "  Reverend." 

Now  [1787,  Bays  Mr  Tyerman]  that  Pawson  was 
brought  back  to  England,  he  had  to  doff  his  canonicals, 
and  had  his  letters  from  Wesley  inscribed  with  "  Mr," 
instead  of  "Rev."  He  loudly  remonstrated,  but  got 
no  redress  ;  and  at  length,  like  a  good  Christian,  more 
anxious  to  save  souls  than  to  wear  sacerdotal  robes, 
submitted  to  obey  orders  which  were  strangely  incon- 
sistent with  Wesley's  ordaining  acts,  and  went  on  his 
way  rejoicing.3 

Twenty-first  Visit,   1788. 

Wesley  was  now  verging  on  his  eighty-sixth 
year,  and  life  was  becoming  lonelier  to  him.  In 
1785  he  had  lost  by  death  two  of  his  oldest 
and  dearest  friends — Vincent  Perronet  and  John 
Fletcher,  vicars  of  Shoreham  and  Madeley.  Their 
counsel  and  help  were  always  inspirations  to  him, 
and    Fletcher    was    Wesley's    designated    successor. 

i  Life  of  John  \  207. 

.  vol.  iii.  p.  484.  :;  [bid.,  i>.  497. 


196      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Shortly  before  leaving  the  South  on  his  northerly 
journey,  Wesley  had  received  another  loss  by 
death.  His  brother  Charles  died  on  March  29, 
1788.  It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  Wesley 
was  preaching  in  Shropshire  at  the  time,  and  he 
and  his  congregation  were  singing  at  the  very 
moment  of  his  brother's  death  Charles's  own  sweet 
hymn : — 

"  Come  let  us  join  our  friends  above, 

That  have  obtained  the  prize, 
And  on  the  eagle- wings  of  love 

To  joys  celestial  rise. 
Let  all  the  saints  terrestrial  sing, 

With  those  to  glory  gone, 
For  all  the  servants  of  our  King, 

In  earth  and  heaven,  are  one. 

One  family,  we  dwell  in  Him, 

One  Church,  above,  beneath, 
Though  now  divided  by  the  stream, 

The  narrow  stream  of  death. 
One  army  of  the  living  God, 

To  His  command  we  bow  ; 
Part  of  His  host  have  crossed  the  flood, 

And  part  are  crossing  now." 

A  fortnight  later,  when  preaching  at  Bolton, 
Wesley  attempted  to  give  for  praise  his  brother's 
hymn,  "  Come,  0  Thou  Traveller  unknown "  ;  but 
when  he  came  to  the  lines — 

"  My  company  before  is  gone, 
And  I  am  left  alone  with  thee  " 


WESLEY'S   SPIRITUAL   LIFE.  197 

the  venerable,  sorrow-stricken  man  broke  down, 
overcome  with  emotion ;  he  sat  down  in  the  pulpit, 
hid  his  face  with  his  hands,  and  wept.  The  tears 
of  a  strong  man  are  impressive,  and  Wesley,  not- 
withstanding his  lonely  elevation,  had  still  the 
human  heart  that  could  be  pierced  with  sorrow. 
But  the  "  Traveller  unknown "  was  with  him  till 
travelling  days  were  done  on  the  earth,  and  Wesley 
pressed  northwards.  On  the  way  he  had  enormous 
congregations,  and  Mrs  Fletcher  at  Madeley  wrote 
of  him  :  "I  could  not  but  discern  a  great  change 
in  him.  His  soul  seems  far  more  sunk  in  God, 
and  such  an  unction  attends  his  words  that  each 
sermon  was  indeed  spirit  and  life."  1 

On  May  13,  1788,  Wesley  arrived  at  Dumfries, 
and  preached  in  the  open  air.  "Rich  and  poor 
attended  from  every  quarter,  of  whatever  denomi- 
nation, and  every  one  seemed  to  hear  for  life. 
Surely  the  Scots  are  the  best  hearers  in  Europe  !  " 2 
He  paid  a  noble  tribute  to  his  preacher  for  the 
work  he  had  done :  this  worthy  man  (Robert 
Dall)  and  his  wife  had  won  the  respect  of  all 
classes  in  the  town  for  their  attention  to  the  poor 
criminals  and  the  sermons  in  the  jail.3  He  was 
a  man  after  Wesley's  own  heart,  and  his  wife  had 
"both  sense  and  grace."  Wesley  preached  next 
morning  at  five  o'clock  in  the  new  chapel,  and 
in   the   evening.       The    clergy   of  the    town 

1  Life.  ]..  2",l.  «  Appendix,  }».  307. 

erman'fl  Life,  vol.  iiL  |  . 


198      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

showed  much  kindness.  He  arrived  at  Glasgow 
on  the  16th,  where  he  preached  six  times ;  here  he 
stated  the  object  of  his  system,  and  described  it 
as  an  agency  for  good  which  required  for  admission 
into  it  no  particular  opinions. 

There  is  no  other  religious  society  under  heaven 
which  requires  nothing  of  men  in  order  to  their  admis- 
sion into  it,  but  a  desire  to  save  their  souls.  Look  all 
around  you,  you  cannot  be  admitted  into  the  Church 
or  society  of  the  Presbyterians,  Anabaptists,  Quakers, 
or  any  others,  unless  you  hold  the  same  opinions  with 
them,  and  adhere  to  the  same  mode  of  worship. 

The  Methodists  alone  do  not  insist  on  your  holding 
this  or  that  opinion  ;  but  they  think,  and  let  think. 
Neither  do  they  impose  any  particular  mode  of  wor- 
ship ;  but  you  may  continue  to  worship  in  your  former 
manner,  be  it  what  it  may.  Now,  I  do  not  know  any 
other  religious  society,  either  ancient  or  modern,  where- 
in such  liberty  of  conscience  is  now  allowed,  or  has 
been  allowed,  since  the  age  of  the  Apostles.  Here  is 
our  glorying  ;  and  a  glorying  peculiar  to  us.  What 
society  shares  it  with  us.1 

He  reached  Edinburgh  on  the  19th,  and  spent 
two  days  there  with  much  satisfaction :  "  I  still 
find  a  frankness  and  openness  in  the  people  of 
Edinburgh,  which  I  find  in  few  other  parts  of  the 
kingdom."  He  likewise  preached  at  Dalkeith  and 
Dunbar. 

"As  Wesley  grew  older,"  says  Mr  Tyerman,  "he 
took  far  more  interest  in  visiting  scenes  of  beauty 

1  Appendix,  p.  309. 


LADY    MAXWELL.  199 

and  historic  buildings  than  he  did  in  the  earlier 
parts  of  his  illustrious  career":  this  is  especially 
observable  in  his  last  Scottish  visits. 

A;  the  Conference  in  1788  an  attempt  was  made 
to  set  aside  the  itinerant  plan  in  Scotland,1  and  this 
was  the  occasion  of  the  following  letter  to  Lady 
Maxwell : — 

London,  August  8,  1788. 

My  dear  Lady, — It  is  certain' many  persons,  both 
in  Scotland  and  England,  would  be  well  pleased  to 
have  the  same  preachers  always.  But  we  cannot  for- 
sake the  plan  of  acting  which  we  have  followed  from 
the  first.  For  fifty  years  God  has  been  pleased  to 
~he  itinerant  plan  ;  the  last  year  most  of  all  :  it 
must  not  be  altered  till  I  am  removed  ;  and  I  hope  it 
will  remain  till  our  Lord  comes  to  reign  upon  earth. 

John  Wesley.2 

Wesley  again  declined  to  apply  the  term  "Rev- 
erend" to  his  Scottish  ordained  preachers  when 
removed  to  England,  neither  would  he  permit  them 
to  administer  the  sacrament  in  England.3  A  kirk- 
session  had  been  instituted  in  Glasgow,  and  Wesley, 
being  informed,  wrote  to  one  of  his  preachers  the 
following  : — 

Cork,  May  10,  1789. 

My  dbab  Brotheb,— "Sessions !"  "elder-:  We 
Methodists  have  no  such  custom,  neither  any  of  the 

chur>  are  under  our  care.      I  require 


Tyerrnan,  vol.  iii.  ]>.  561.  -  Works,  vol.  xii.  p.  328. 

annan,  vol.  iii.  pp.  51'j,  505,  574* 


200      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

you,  Jonathan  Crowther,  immediately  to  dissolve  that 
session  (so  called)  at  Glasgow.  Discharge  them  from 
meeting  any  more.  And  if  they  will  leave  the  society, 
let  them  leave  it.  We  acknowledge  only  preachers, 
stewards,  and  leaders  among  us,  over  which  the  assist- 
ant in  each  circuit  presides.  You  ought  to  have  kept 
to  the  Methodist  plan  from  the  beginning.  Who  had 
my  authority  to  vary  from  it?  If  the  people  of  Glasgow, 
or  any  other  place,  are  weary  of  us,  we  will  leave  them 
to  themselves.  But  we  are  willing  to  be  still  their 
servants,  for  Christ's  sake,  according  to  our  own  dis- 
cipline, but  no  other.  John  Wesley.1 

During  this  visit  to  Scotland  Wesley  felt  it 
necessary  to  write  to  his  Magazine  a  letter  upon  a 
subject  that  was  occupying  much  attention  at  the 
period.  Wesley  himself  resolved  to  have  as  his 
resting-place  the  ground  connected  with  City  Road 
Chapel,  and  he  wished  his  brother  to  be  buried 
beside  him.  Charles  objected  to  this,  because  the 
ground  had  not  been  "  consecrated."  Shortly  before 
his  death  he  sent  for  the  vicar  of  his  parish  and 
said :  "  Sir,  whatever  the  world  may  have  thought 
of  me,  I  have  lived,  and  I  die,  in  the  communion 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  I  will  be  buried  in 
the  yard  of  my  parish  church."  Wesley  loved  his 
brother  Charles  most  affectionately,  but  he  felt  it 
necessary  to  answer  certain  opinions  that  his 
brother's  request  had  raised.  At  Dumfries  he 
wrote  an  article  on  the  consecration  of  churches 
and  churchyards,  in  which  he  states  there  is  no  law 
i  Tyerman,  vol.  iii.  pp.  582,  583. 


CONSECRATION.  201 

of  England,  or  of  the  English  Church,  enjoining 
such  a  practice  : — 

Neither  is  it  enjoined  by  the  law  of  God.  Where  do 
we  find  one  word  in  the  New  Testament  enjoining  any 
such  thing  1  Neither  do  I  remember  any  precedent 
of  it  in  the  purest  ages  of  the  Church.  It  seems  to 
have  entered,  and  gradually  spread  itself,  with  the 
other  innovations  and  superstitions  of  the  Church  of 
Rome.  For  this  reason  I  never  wished  that  any  bishop 
should  consecrate  any  chapel  or  burial-ground  of  mine. 
Indeed,  I  should  not  dare  to  suffer  it,  as  I  am  clearly 
persuaded  the  thing  is  wrong  in  itself,  being  not 
authorised  by  any  law  of  God,  or  by  any  law  of  the 
land.  In  consequence  of  which  I  conceive  that  either 
the  clerk  or  the  sexton  may  as  well  consecrate  the 
church,  or  the  churchyard,  as  the  bishop.  ...  I  take 
the  whole  of  this  practice  to  be  a  mere  relic  of  Romish 
superstition.  And  I  wonder  that  any  sensible  Pro- 
testant should  think  it  right  to  countenance  it ;  much 
more  that  any  reasonable  man  should  plead  for  the 
necessity  of  it  !  Surely  it  is  high  time  now  that  we 
should  be  guided,  not  by  custom,  but  by  Scripture  and 
reason.1 

In  connection  with  Wesley's  letter,  it  is  interest- 
ing  to  recall  Dean  Stanley's  reference  to  City  Road 
Chapel  churchyard,  where  rests  all  that  is  mortal  of 
John  Wesley.     In  visiting  the  chapel  and  cemetery 

I    isked  an  old  man,  who  showed  me  the  cemetery, 
<1  him  perhaps  inadvertently,  and  as  an  English 
Churchman  might  naturally  ask — 

whom  was  this  cemetery  consecrated  '"' 


zin<-,  1788,  p.  548. 


202      WESLEY  AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

And  he  answered  :  "  It  was  consecrated  by  the  bones 
of  that  holy  man,  that  holy  servant  of  God,  John 
Wesley."1 

Dean  Stanley  sympathised  with  the  remark,   and 
quoted  it  with  approval. 


Twenty-second  Visit,  1790. 

Wesley  was  now  bordering  on  eighty-eight  years 
of  age,  but  he  was  as  busy  as  ever,  and  did  not 
shrink  from  the  fatigue  of  another  Scottish  journey. 
The  words  that  he  used  on  his  eighty-fifth  birthday 
were  the  inspiration  of  his  closing  days  : — 

"  My  remnant  of  days 

I  spend  to  His  praise 
Who  died  the  whole  world  to  redeem  ; 

Be  they  many  or  few, 

My  days  are  his  due, 
And  they  all  are  devoted  to  Him  ! "  2 

He  proceeded  to  Scotland  on  May  10,  1790;  but 
of  his  labours  during  the  next  fortnight  we  know 
nothing,  as  the  record  has  perished.  He  evidently 
was  at  Inverness  ;  he  spent  an  agreeable  afternoon 
with  Lady  Banff  "  and  her  lovely  family,"  and 
preached  in  the  evening.  On  the  25th  "  we  re- 
turned to  Aberdeen  ;  and  I  took  a  solemn  farewell 
of  a  crowded  audience.  If  I  should  be  permitted 
to  see  them  again,  well ;  if  not,  I  have  delivered 

1  American  Addresses  and  Sermons,  p.  38. 

2  Diary,  vol.  iv.  p.  410. 


WESLEY'S   SUSTAINED   ACTIVITY.  203 

my  own  soul."'  On  the  26th  he  drove  to  Brechin, 
where  he  preached  in  the  evening  ;  "but  I  was  so 
faint  and  ill  that  I  was  obliged  to  shorten  my  dis- 
course." On  the  27th  he  drove  through  Forfar 
and  Cupar  to  Auchterarder ;  on  the  28th  through 
Stirling  and  Kilsyth  to  Glasgow.  There  is  sadness 
in  the  words  of  the  good  old  man — pity  his  vener- 
able presence  and  apostolic  work  did  not  meet  with 
a  warm  welcome :  "  The  congregation  was  miser- 
ably small,  verifying  what  I  had  often  heard  be- 
fore, that  the  Scots  dearly  love  the  "Word  of  the 
Lord — on  the  Lord's  day.  If  I  live  to  come  again, 
I  will  take  care  to  spend  only  the  Lord's  day  at 
Glasgow."  *  On  Monday,  31st  May,  he  left  Glas- 
gow at  two  in  the  morning,  and  arrived  in  Moffat 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  "  Taking 
fresh  horses,  we  reached  Dumfries  between  six  and 
seven,  and  found  the  congregation  waiting ;  so  after 
a  few  minutes,  I  preached  on  Mark  iii.  35  :  'Who- 
soever shall  do  the  will  of  God,  the  same  is  my 
brother,  and  sister,  and  mother.'  "  Fortunately  a 
letter  written  by  one  of  his  preachers  gives  an  ac- 
count of  Wesley's  last  visit  to  Dumfries — in  fact 
his  last  visit  to  a  Scottish  town  : — 

In  the  litter  end  of  May  Mr  Wesley  visited  us.  He 
came  from  Glasgow  that  day  (about  seventy  miles), 
bat  his  .strength  was  almost  exhausted,  and  when  he 
attempted  to  preach  very  few  could  hear  him.     IIi> 


Appendix,  p.  311. 


204      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

sight  was  likewise  much  decayed,  so  that  he  could 
neither  read  the  hymn  or  text.  The  wheels  of  life 
were  ready  to  stand  still ;  but  his  conversation  was 
agreeably  edifying,  being  mixed  with  the  wisdom  and 
gravity  of  a  parent,  and  the  artless  simplicity  of  "a 
child.1 

Wesley  was  evidently  not  able  for  the  morning 
service  at  five  o'clock  on  June  1,  but  the  Diary 
adds  : — 

In  the  day  I  conversed  with  many  of  the  people — a 
candid,  humane,  well  -  behaved  people  ;  unlike  most 
that  I  have  found  in  Scotland.  In  the  evening  the 
house  was  filled  ;  and  truly  God  preached  to  their 
hearts.  Surely  God  will  have  a  considerable  people 
here.2 

Two  of  Wesley's  letters,  dated  Dumfries,  June  1, 
1790,  give  us  Wesley's  own  thoughts;  in  one  he 
says  (referring  to  the  journey  from  Glasgow) : — 

I  travelled  yesterday  nearly  eighty  miles,  and  preached 
in  the  evening  without  any  pain.  The  Lord  does  what 
pleases  Him.     Peace  be  to  all  your  spirits  ! 

In  another  : — 

The  dying  words  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  are  much 
upon  my  mind  this  morning  :  "  Lord,  have  mercy  upon 
the  people  !  "  I  never  saw  so  much  likelihood  of  doing 
good  to  Scotland  as  there  is  now,  if  only  our  preachers 
here  would  be  Methodists  indeed  !  .  .  .  My  sight  is 
much  as  it  was,  but  I  doubt  I  shall  not  recover  my 


1  Magazine,  1795,  p.  423.  2  Appendix,  p.  312. 


HIS    INFLUENCE    ON    A   FRIEND.  205 

strength  till  I  use  that  noble  medicine,  preaching  in  the 
morning.1 

It  is  pleasant  to  recall  that  Lady  Maxwell  of 
Pollok,  his  old  friend,  was  a  solace  to  him  in  his 
old  age,  and  pleasant  to  read  in  one  of  his  last 
letters  to  this  noble  Scottish  lady : — 

I  really  love  to  write  to  you,  as  I  love  to  think  of 

you.     And  sometimes  it  may  please  Him  who  sends 

by  whom  He  will  send  to  give  you  some  assistance  by 

me.     And  your  letters  have  frequently  been  an  encourage- 

■  and  a  comfort  to  me.     Let  them  never,  my  dear 

I  during  the  feu:  days  I  have  to  stay 

- 

Such  is  the  narrative  relating  to  Wesley's  Scottish 
-  ;  they  are  but  interludes  in  an  almost  un- 
broken apostolic  activity  of  fifty -six  years'  inces- 
sant work.  In  1783,  when  eighty  years  of  age,  he 
enjoyed  for  the  first  time — it  may  be  said  the  only 
time — "  the  luxury  of  a  ministerial  holiday."  3  His 
venerable  old  age  was  characterised  by  supreme 
goodness  and  happiness  : — 

BHa  countenance  as  well  as  conversation  [said  Mr 

Knox]  expressed  an    habitual   gaiety  of  heart    which 

nothing  bat  conscious  virtue  and  innocence  could  have 

red.     My  acquaintance  with  him  has  done  more 

ch  me  what  heaven  upon  earth  is  implied  in  the 

maturity  of  Christian  piety  than  all  that  I  have 


mum,  vol.  iii.  p.  609. 
-  Life  of  I)'Ar<:\\  La<ly  Maxwell  of  Pollok,  p.  99. 
3  Dr  Rigg'.T  The  Living  Wesley,  \>.  210. 


206      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

where   seen   or  heard   or  read,  except  in  the  sacred 
volume.1 

After  leaving  Scotland  on  June  1  he  was  as  busy 
as  ever  with  his  work  in  England,  and  wrote  on  the 
28th  :— 

This  day  I  enter  into  my  eighty-eighth  year.  For 
above  eighty-six  years  I  found  none  of  the  infirmities 
of  old  age  :  my  eyes  did  not  wax  dim,  neither  was  my 
natural  strength  abated ;  but  last  August  I  found 
almost  a  sudden  change.  My  eyes  were  so  dim  that 
no  glasses  would  help  me.  My  strength  likewise  now 
quite  forsook  me  ;  and  probably  will  not  return  in  this 
world.  But  I  feel  no  pain  from  head  to  foot ;  only  it 
seems  nature  is  exhausted  ;  and,  humanly  speaking, 
will  sink  more  and  more  till 

"The  weary  springs  of  life  stand  still  at  last."2 

Although  now  very  weary  with  years,  his  spirit 
was  as  active  as  ever,  and  it  is  interesting  to  have 
it  stated  on  the  authority  of  Mr  Moore,3  and  cor- 
roborated by  Mr  Tyerman,4  that  in  February  1791 
he  actually  sent  his  chaise  and  horses  from  London 
to  Bristol,  and  took  places  for  himself  and  his  friends 
in  the  Bath  coach,  intending  to  start  about  March  1 
for  his  journey  (as  was  his  wont)  to  North  England 
and  Scotland.  God  had  willed  it  otherwise,  and 
about  the  time  of  his  contemplated  journey  to  Scot- 
land he  was  called  to  his  rest  and  reward  in  the 
Church  above.     He  died  on  March  2,  1791,  and  his 

i  Dr  Rigg's  The  Living  Wesley,  p.  210. 

2  Diary,  vol.  iv.  p.  470.  »  Life,  vol.  ii.  p.  386. 

4  Life,  vol.  hi.  p.  647. 


HIS   MORAL  SPLENDOUR.  207 

death,  like  his  life,  exhibited  the  triumph  of  his 
faith.  It  was  indeed  "a  greeting  the  Unseen  with 
a  cheer  "  :  it  was  the  unquenchable  faith — 

"  I'll  see  my  Pilot  face  to  face, 
When  I  have  crossed  the  bar." 

Wesley's  end  was  a  victory  :  "  The  best  of  all 
is,  God  is  with  us " ;  "  I'll  praise,  I'll  praise,  I'll 
."  His  death,  like  his  life,  has  done  more 
for  the  triumph  of  the  Christian  faith  than 
libraries  of  apologetic  literature.  He  died  the 
religious  guide  of  134,549  Methodists,1  and  set  up 
as  he  was  on  a  height  from  which  the  splendour 
of  his  Christian  character  could  impress  so  many 
connected  with  him  and  all  beyond  his  own  pale 
who  loved  him,  the  triumph  of  his  life  and  death 
has  brought  thousands  then  and  since  to  the  feet  of 
Refuge  may  still  be  found  in  the  shadow  of 
his  resplendent  personality,  and  it  is  true  to  say  that 
m  and  all  forms  of  unbelief  have  their  best 
answer  in  Wesley's  life  and  death;  that  these  are 
the  noblest  of  vindications  for  the  truth  and  power 
of  the  Christian  faith.  His  dying  words  are  the 
explicit  statement  of  his  lifelong  faith,  and  his 
followers  may  be  said  to  found  their  creed  upon 
them.  At  the  centenary  services  of  1891  the  Bight 
Honourable  H.  II.  Fowler,  M.P.,  -aid: — 

If  we  inherit  but  the  smallest  portion  of  his  spirit, 
we  shall  claim  to  be  "the  friends  of  all,  the  enemii 

1  Tyeniiun.  vol.  iii.  p. 


208      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

none."  His  conflict  was  with  vice,  with  ignorance,  with 
intemperance,  and  with  sin.  His  motive  and  his  aim 
was  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil ;  and  all  who  are 
fighting  that  battle — no  matter  what  uniform  they  wear 
— are  the  comrades  of  "  the  people  called  Methodists." 
I  would,  in  closing,  in  one  sentence  recall  the  scene 
around  that  death-bed  a  century  ago. 

What  was  his  last  confession  of  faith  1  What  was 
the  creed  in  which  he  died  ? — 

"  I  the  chief  of  sinners  am, 
But  Jesus  died  for  me." 

What  was  his  last  hymn  ? — 

"  I'll  praise  my  Maker  while  I've  breath, 
And  when  my  voice  is  lost  in  death 
Praise  shall  employ  my  nobler  powers. " 

What  was  his  last  prayer  ? — "  Bless  the  Church  and 
he  King.  Grant  us  truth  and  peace  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord." 

And  what  was  his  final  words  of  thanksgiving  for 
the  past  and  hope  for  the  future  ? — "  The  best  of  all  is, 
God  is  with  us  ! " 

In  that  confession  of  faith,  in  that  litany,  in  that 
inspiring  motto  you  have  an  epitome  of  the  Methodism 
which  to-day  reverently,  thankfully,  hopefully  gathers 
around  John  Wesley's  tomb.1 

Such  is  the  faith  which  John  Wesley  has  so  nobly 
helped  to  reawaken  in  the  Churches,  and  we  all 
praise  God  for  the  gift  of  his  great  servant.  His 
true  proportions  are  now  visible,  but  they  were  not 
so  extensively  recognised  in  1791.  As  this  work 
specially  deals  with  "  Wesley  in  Scotland,"  it  will 

1  Centenary  Sermons  and  Addresses,  pp.  192,  193. 


LADY    MAXWELL   ON   WESLEY'S    DEATH.       209 

only  be  appropriate  to  quote  the  references  that 
Lady  Maxwell,  whose  letters  had  frequently  been 
"  an  encouragement  and  comfort "  to  Wesley,  made 
in  an  Edinburgh  newspaper  at  his  death  : — 

On  Wednesday  last,  at  his  house  in  London,  died 
that  great  and  good  man  the  Kev.  John  Wesley,  at  a 
very  advanced  period,  after  a  life  of  the  most  unwearied 
diligence  and  unexampled  activity  in  the  service  of 
God  and  the  general  interests  of  mankind.  His  ex- 
tensive labours  were  crowned  with  uncommon  success 
in  various  parts  of  different  and  distant  kingdoms.  But, 
as  might  be  expected,  his  very  uncommon  abilities 
and  extensive  usefulness  laid  him  under  that  severe 
tax  which  all  must  pay  who  are  so  far  raised  above 
the  common  level  of  mankind.  Now  that  he  is  no 
longer  the  object  of  envy,  it  is  hoped  prejudice  will 
give  way  to  more  candid  and  honourable  sentiments, 
and  thereby  leave  the  public  at  liberty  to  do  justice  to 
one  of  the  greatest  characters  that  has  appeared  since 
the  apostolic  age.1 

In  two  other  letters  there  are  also  to  be  found  the 
following  allusions  : — 

March  14,  1791. 

And  BO  that  great  and  good  man  is  gone! — a  dis- 
rion  big  with  importance  to  thousands.  I  felt 
keenly,  though  perfectly  satisfied.  A  year  or  two 
more  would  have  reduced  him  to  a  state  of  childhood  ; 
but  now  he  has  made  an  honourable  retreat  in  the 
of  all  his  mental  powers  :  after  a  long  life 
of  unwearied  diligence,  and  unexampled  activity,  in  the 


Lady  Maxwell's  Life,  p.  99. 
O 


210      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

service  of  his  God  and  the  general  interests  of  man- 
kind, and  with  most  uncommon  success  attending  his 
extensive  labours.  May  the  Lord  still  be  the  Head  of 
the  large  body  of  Christians  he  has  left  behind  !  0 
that  one  soul  may  animate  the  whole  !  .  .  .  I  trace 
him  worshipping  before  the  throne,  and  by  faith  hold 
fellowship  with  his  spirit.1 

March  19,  1791. 

I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  heard  of  a  life  so  crowned 
with  action  ;  so  unweariedly  filled  up  with  and  for 
God.  Not  one  vacant  moment  in  the  twenty-four 
hours.  Many  sons  have  done  well ;  but,  if  I  do  not 
view  him  through  a  too  flattering  medium,  he  excels 
them  all.2 

It  is  the  glory  of  this  Scottish  lady  that  she 
recognised  Wesley's  spiritual  genius  from  the  very 
first,  and  felt  the  mighty  religious  impulse  which 
his  work  brought  to  the  country.  The  following 
are  her  testimonies  to  Wesley's  Scottish  societies 
and  the  people  he  gathered  around  him : — 

The  class  that  meets  in  my  house  is  become  quite  a 
Penuel.  Deity  is  so  present  that  all  within  each  heart 
confesses  a  present  God.  .  .  .  The  chapel  "was  not 
only  the  house  of  God,  but  the  gate  of  heaven."  3 

The  Methodists  are  a  highly  favoured  body  of  Christ- 
ians, both  ministers  and  people.  I  meet  with  none 
who  enjoy  so  much  of  the  comforts  of  religion,  of 
communion  and  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  as  they  do  ;  nor  with  any  that  have  such  clear 
views  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant.4 


i  Life,  p.  360.  2  ibid.,  p.  361. 

3  Ibid.,  p.  456.  4  ibid.,  p.  490. 


A   SAINT   OF   PROTESTANTISM.  211 

Surely  these  Scottish  disciples  were  worthy  of 
their  great  spiritual  leader  :  they  continued  "Wesley's 
spirit,  which  has  never  ceased  to  live  in  them,  their 
present  successors,  and  all  the  Churches. 

We  lost  the  true  notion  of  human  culture  [says  Dr 
James  Martineau]  when  we  threw  away  the  "lives 
of  the  saints."  .  .  .  The  soul  grows  Godlike,  not  by  its 
downward  gaze  at  inferior  nature,  but  by  its  uplifted 
look  at  thought  and  goodness  greater  than  its  own.1 

And  Protestantism  has  its  saints  as  well  as 
Catholicism — men  and  women  who  not  only  sighed 
after  the  Xew  Jerusalem,  but  did  much  to  bring  it 
nearer.  Prominent  among  such  is  John  Wresley. 
The  weary  ages  will  turn  to  him  for  impulse  and 
inspiration,  for  he  was  one  of  God's  greatest  gifts 
to  the  world.  As  an  undaunted  preacher  of  the 
eternal  love  and  righteousness  ;  as  one  who  set  aside 
comfort,  ease,  and  worldly  preferment  that  he  might 
convince  the  country  that  it  had  a  soul  to  be  filled 
with  the  life  of  God ;  as  a  prophet,  reformer,  in- 
spirer,  who  dared  all  things  for  his  Master,  and 
faced  the  perils  of  land  and  sea,  as  well  as  un- 
ed  calumny,  that  he  might  be  true  to  the 
nly  vision  ;  as,  withal,  a  great  leader  and 
ruler  of  men,  yet  possessed  with  the  gentleness  and 
docility  of  a  little  child  j  as  a  spiritual  splendour, 
who  brought  heaven  near  this  earth, — Wesley  is 
unique,  and  his  spirit  speaks  to  thousands  beyond 
his  owd  communion,  who  thank  God  for  him,  and 
1  Faith  and  Belf-Sumnxder,  pp.  18,  19. 


212      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

feel  strengthened  by  the  Godlike  force  that  spoke 
through  him,  and  radiates  from  his  memory  still. 
No  Church  can  be  what  it  was  before,  no  indi- 
vidual can  remain  as  he  was,  after  knowing  what 
John  Wesley,  strengthened  by  the  grace  of  God, 
was  able  to  achieve.  A  spark  of  heaven's  fire 
enters  the  soul  and  leads  life  onwards  to  nobler 
issues.  His  secret  was  best  expressed  in  the  hymn 
of  Tersteegen,  which  he  translated  : — 

"  Thou  hidden  Love  of  God,  whose  height, 
Whose  depth  unfathomed,  no  man  knows, 
I  see  from  far  Thy  beauteous  light, 

I  inly  sigh  for  Thy  repose  : 
My  heart  is  pained,  nor  can  it  be 
At  rest  till  it  finds  rest  in  Thee. 

Is  there  a  thing  beneath  the  sun 

That  strives  with  Thee  my  heart  to  share  ? 

Ah  !  tear  it  thence,  and  reign  alone, 
The  Lord  of  every  motion  there  : 

Then  shall  my  heart  from  earth  be  free, 

When  it  has  found  repose  in  Thee." 

A  somewhat  similar  movement  to  that  headed 
by  Wesley  and  Whitefield  is  to  be  found  in  the 
thirteenth  century — that  founded  by  St  Francis  of 
Assisi  and  St  Dominic.  Unquestionably  the  differ- 
ences were  great,  and  the  movements  took  differ- 
ent expressions  in  accordance  with  their  different 
respective  centuries.  When  the  great  Benedictine 
abbeys  were  growing  luxurious  in  their  wealth,  and 
forgetting  the   spiritual   functions  for  which  they 


COMPARISON    WITH    ST   FRANCIS.  213 

existed ;  when  the  secular  clergy  were  no  less  faith- 
I  as,  -  the   spiritual   life   of  the  thirteenth   century 
found  expression  and  inspiration  in  two  great  orders 
— the  one  founded  by  Dominic  and  the  other  by 
Francis  of  Assisi.     Both  condemned  the  unfaithful- 
ness of  the  Church,  and  were  prophets  who  sought 
form   it.     St  Dominic  founded  the   order  of 
Preaching  Friars  and  asserted  the  necessity  of  pro- 
phesying in  the  Christian  Church ;   St  Francis  of 
Assisi  founded  the  order  of  the  Brothers  Minor, — 
and  both  in  doing  so  saved  religion.      "The  thir- 
teenth century,  with  juvenile  ardour,  overtook  this 
revolution,  which  has  not  yet  reached  its  end.     In 
the  north  of  Europe  it  became  incarnate  in  cathe- 
drals, in  the  south  in  saints.  .   .   .  The  thirteenth 
century    saints    were    true    prophets." *      The    life- 
purpose  of  both  St  Dominic  and  St  Francis  was 
the  awakening  of  the  Church,  the  quickening  and 
organisation  of  its  spiritual  life  ;  they  both  sought 
to  attain  this  by  working  within  the  Church  itself, 
and,  after  the  manner  of  the  thirteenth  century,  by 
the    creation   of   orders.     "Whitefield    and    Wesley 
workers  inspired  by  the  same  spirit,  but  they 
belonged  to  the  eighteenth  century  and  worked  in 
accordance  with  its  conditions.     Whitefield  may  be 
compared  to   St  Dominic,  and   those  who  became 
inspired    by   his   aims    were   many   of   the   clergy 
within  the  Churches;  Wesley  may  be  compared  to 
Si    !  -i — and  his  societies,  intended  to 

1  Life  of  St  Fraud!  oi  Paul  Babatier,  pp.  xiii,  xv. 


214      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

quicken  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church,  were  anal- 
ogous to  the  fraternities  of  St  Francis  which  spread 
themselves  over  Europe.  Wesley  and  St  Francis 
were  brothers  in  spirit.     When  Wesley  wrote — 

"  No  foot  of  land  do  I  possess, 
No  cottage  in  this  wilderness  : 

A  poor,  wayfaring  man, 
I  lodge  awhile  in  tents  below  ; 
Or  gladly  wander  to  and  fro, 
Till  I  my  Canaan  gain. 

Nothing  on  earth  I  call  my  own, 
A  stranger,  to  the  world  unknown, 

I  all  their  goods  despise  ; 
I  trample  on  their  whole  delight, 
And  seek  a  country  out  of  sight, 

A  country  in  the  skies  ; " 

he  was  uttering  in  verse  the  same  life-purpose  that 
inspired  St  Francis  when  he  said,  "Deus  meus, 
mea  omnia" — "My  God  is  my  all."  Both  were 
"pilgrims  of  eternity"  in  time,  and  both  were 
workers  for  that  city  which  endureth  throughout 
all  generations ;  both  saved  religion  by  the  impulse 
they  gave  the  Church  through  their  societies. 

The  rulers  of  the  medieval  Church  recognised  the 
work  of  St  Dominic  and  St  Francis  by  giving  official 
imprimatur  to  two  new  orders,  and  by  so  doing 
Popes  Innocent  III.  and  Honorius  III.  preserved 
the  unity  of  their  Church,  and  kept  within  its  pale 
a  great  outburst  of  spiritual  life  that  preserved 
its  unity  for  three  centuries  longer.     Now  Wesley 


GENERAL  OF  A  GREAT  ORDER.     215 

did  the  same  work  ;  and  although  he  bore  a  lifelong 
testimony  to  the  fact  that  he  was  still  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  England,  and  desired  his  followers  not 
to  separate,  the  Church  of  the  eighteenth  century 
gave  him  no  official  recognition,  and  thus  allowed 
the  greatest  of  spiritual  movements  to  become  separ- 
ated from  it.  Dean  Stanley  held  that  the  National 
Church  possessed  capabilities  which  have  never  yet 
been  fully  developed,1  and  if  ever  there  was  an  oc- 
casion for  developing  them,  it  was  at  the  period 
when  John  Wesley  trod  British  roads,  doing  the 
work  that  the  Church  had  failed  to  do,  and  preaching 
the  Father-God  to  Calvinistic  Scotland.  Wesley 
always  attended  church  during  his  itinerancy,  and 
never  intended  to  separate  from  it ;  if  he  did  so  in 
fact — if,  like  a  man  in  the  boat,  "  he  looked  one 
way  but  moved  in  another  "  2 — it  was  on  account 
of  the  indifference  with  which  he  was  met.  The 
Church  of  the  eighteenth  century  needed  flexibility 
and  inventiveness  to  rise  to  the  great  occasion  ;  had 
it  done  so.  Wesley's  ideal  would  have  been  realised 
in  the  manner  that  he  fondly  desired  it. 

Wesley  [says  Dean  Farrar]  ought  to  have  been  made 
the  General  of  a  great  Christian  order  within  the 
Church  of  England,  or  a  bishop  in  partibua  infideliwm 
for  the  evangelisation  of  the  waste  places,  so  to  speak, 
— then  the  Methodist  separation  would  never  have 
taken  place.3 

1  Life,  vol.  ii.  p. 

I  ighes'  Presidential  Address,  July  19,  1898. 
3  Wesley  Centenary  Volume,  p.  179. 


216      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

To  take  it  according  to  its  etymology  [says  Mrs 
Oliphant],  it  (the  term  "  Methodist ")  might  as  well 
have  been  applied  to  the  followers  of  Benedict  or 
Francis  as  those  of  John  Wesley  ;  and,  in  fact,  this 
movement,  of  which  no  one  foresaw  the  importance, 
was  at  its  beginning  much  more  like  the  foundation  of 
a  monastic  order  than  anything  else.  Had  Wesley  (we 
repeat)  been  a  Koman  Catholic,  from  his  hermitage  he 
would  have  come  forth  like  Benedict  to  the  formation 
of  a  great  community.  His  country,  his  race  and 
birth  were,  however,  too  many  for  him.  .  .  .  Had  he 
been  in  the  Church  of  Rome  (and  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  there  was  his  fittest  sphere),  Wesley  would 
have  been  splendidly  utilised,  would  have  taken  his 
place  with  Dominic  and  Francis  —  founder  of  a  vast 
community.  The  Church  of  England,  less  wise,  let  the 
man  and  his  followers  slip  through  her  fingers.  .  .  . 
Wesley  died  as  he  lived,  no  schismatic,  but  a  true  son 
of  the  Church,  which  was  too  sleepy  even  to  eject  him 
for  his  innovations.  But  her  sleep  ended  with  the 
generation  which  laughed  horse-laughs  at  the  Method- 
ists, and  shut  their  pulpits  against  their  leader.  The 
work  of  Wesley  lived  after  him,  like  every  great  work. 
Long  as  his  life  was,  it  was  not  long  enough  to  see  the 
full  effect  of  his  influence.  And  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that,  had  he  lived  to  see  it,  the  awakening  of 
the  Church  of  England  would  have  been  to  him  a  more 
joyful  event  than  even  the  increase  of  the  great  society 
which  for  nearly  a  hundred  years  has  borne  his  name.1 

Yet  the  Wesleyan  movement  affected  the  Scot- 
tish Church  no  less  potently,  and  both  Wesley 
and  they  who  bear  his  honoured  name  in  Scotland 

1  Blackwood's  Magazine  :  Historical  Sketches  of  the  Reign  of 
George  II.,  pp.  437,  438,  456. 


INFLUENCE  OF  WESLEY  AN   HYMNS.         217 

have  wielded  a  quiet,  unobtrusive,  but  earnest  testi- 
mony for  personal  religion  and  piety  in  Scotland. 
They  have  been  witnesses  against  a  religion  of 
opinion,  and  for  a  deep,  spiritual  Christianity ;  they 
have  influenced  Scottish  religion  for  over  a  century 
by  being  centres  of  spiritual  light  and  life — by 
existing  for  the  advancement  of  purely  spiritual 
aims  and  purposes.  If  the  Wesley  of  Scottish 
history  did  not  apparently  achieve  much  by  found- 
ing an  extensive  Church  organisation  on  Scottish 
soil,  the  Wesley  within  Scottish  religion  has 
achieved  very  much.  He  has  helped  most  effici- 
ently in  pervading  the  Churches  with  a  more 
spiritual  atmosphere,  with  greater  endeavours  to- 
wards a  personal  religion — towards  a  belief  in  God 
as  a  living  Spirit,  acting  directly  upon  the  soul, 
as  the  Eedeemer  of  the  human  will,  as  giving  in 
Christ  a  present  redemption  from  the  power  of 
sin.  The  theological  atmosphere  of  the  eighteenth 
century  was  against  Wesley,  and  called  him  Ar- 
minian,  or,  as  that  term  was  then  understood, 
Socinian  ;  but  the  living  Wesley  has  entered  all 
the  Churches  through  the  lovely  hymns  he  and 
his  brother  wrote  —  through  the  lovely  hymns 
which  his  movement  inspired  far  and  wide.  If 
theology  shut  the  door  against  him,  Scottish  piety 
opened  its  door  to  him;  and  every  time  Scottish 
congregations  sing  his  hymns,  they  are  admitting 
the  Wesleyan  influence,  and  are  finding  (perhaps 
unconsciously)  an  impulse  and  a  warmth  given  i>> 


218      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

aspiration  toward  God.  Those  who  could  not 
say  "  Amen "  to  his  theology  have  glowed  with 
his  piety,  and  the  Wesleys  have  received  thereby 
a  new  reign,  which  is  broadening  and  not  lessening. 
The  outburst  of  sacred  song  that  accompanied  the 
Wesleyan  revival  has  been  assimilated  into  the 
hymnology  of  the  Scottish  Churches,  and  has 
acquired  an  influence  of  the  most  potent  kind 
in  moulding  Scottish  religion.  Methodism  has 
entered  the  Scottish  Church  as  a  great  swelling 
praise  and  aspiration ;  its  hearty  joyousness  has 
swayed  modern  religious  life. 

Dean  Stanley  claimed  Wesley  as  the  "father 
of  the  Broad  Church,"  and  the  "Broad  Church" 
of  which  he  was  the  pioneer  in  Scotland  was  that 
which  afterwards  found  its  typical  names  in 
M'Leod  Campbell  of  Eow,  Thomas  Erskine  of 
Linlathen,  and  Bishop  Ewing.  His  teaching  was 
founded  more  on  the  Fatherhood  than  the  Sover- 
eignty of  God;  more  on  the  paternal  than  the 
mere  governmental  relation  of  God  to  all  men. 
He  was,  in  the  days  of  "particular  election"  and 
"limited  atonement"  and  "unalterable  decrees,"  an 
apostle  of  the  Fatherhood,  a  preacher  of  God's  love 
to  all  men,  and  of  Christ's  death  as  an  atonement 
for  all  men ;  of  life  as  an  education  and  not  a  trial. 
The  Fatherhood  of  God  was  the  ground  of  Wesley's 
teaching  and  the  strength  of  Wesley's  life,  and  it 
was  to  him  "  no  mere  amiability,  but  an  equivalent 
for  righteousness."     Last  century  he  was  as  "  a  voice 


INFLUENCE   OF  WESLEY'S   WORK.  219 

crying  in  the  wilderness,"  but  his  voice  was  the 
prophecy  of  the  larger  love  and  wider  catholicity  that 
characterise  the  religious  teaching  of  to-day.  In 
this  sense  "Wesley  was  again  a  pioneer  in  Scotland. 
As  to  the  practical  work  of  the  Church,  his 
influence  was  no  less  profound.  It  is  his  glory 
that  he  went  to  the  English  waste-places  and  had 
a  message  of  hope  and  comfort  to  the  lost :  his 
work  was  from  beginning  to  end  a  great  Home 
Mission  work  expanding  into  a  great  Foreign 
Mission  work,  for  the  two  cannot  be  separated. 
It  awakened  the  Church  of  England,  but  spiritual 
momentum  cannot  be  limited,  and  it  told  no  less 
potently  upon  the  work  of  the  Church  of  Scotland. 
Begun  at  the  close  of  last  century,  the  movement 
led  to  the  awakening  of  the  Church  to  its  duty  as 
a  National  Church ;  it  found  afterwards  its  most 
eloquent  exponent  in  Chalmers  and  his  great 
scheme  for  Church  Extension ;  it  led  to  the 
quickening  of  spiritual  life  over  the  country.  The 
movement  has  been  nobly  sustained  by  great  and 
earnest  workers  in  all  the  Scottish  Churches ;  it 
has  risen  from  zero  to  blood-heat ;  but  who  can 
measure  John  Wesley's  initial  impulse  ?  or  the 
spiritual  influence  he  has  wielded  in  moulding 
those  who  have  moulded  others,  and  in  organising 
a  great  communion  which  has  deeply  affected  the 
religious  tone  of  the  English  -  speaking  people  1 
The  powers  within  the  region  of  man's  spirit  can- 
not   be    tabulated,    still    it    is    historically   true    to 


) 


220      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

say  that  John  Wesley's  influence  within  the 
Church  in  inspiring  the  Home  Mission  and 
Foreign  Mission  movements  cannot  be  gainsaid. 
The  development  of  Guilds,  connected  with  all 
the  Churches,  and  within  the  Churches,  is  an 
acceptance  of  John  Wesley's  original  idea  of 
his  societies.  It  is  the  derided  ideal  of  one  cen- 
tury becoming  the  accepted  one  for  the  next,  and 
the  great  Guild  system  connected  with  the  Scot- 
tish Church  is  the  assimilation  of  John  Wesley's 
ideal  in  forming  his  societies  for  the  purpose 
of  organising  and  stimulating  the  work  of  the 
Church.  John  Wesley  anticipated  by  nearly  a 
century  Church  expansion  in  Scotland  as  well 
as  England,  and  development  has  been  on  his 
lines. 

To  a  certain  degree  [said  Dean  Stanley]  the  Church 
of  England  has  profited  by  his  warnings  ;  and  the 
services  and  sermons  which  have  now  been  set  on  foot 
in  almost  every  cathedral  town  of  England — varying 
the  stationary  teaching  by  the  constant  introduction  of 
new  preachers,  coming  again  and  again,  so  as  to  infuse 
new  life  into  these  old  congregations  and  a  new  spirit 
into  these  old  grooves — are  examples  of  the  manner  by 
which  John  Wesley's  principles  may  be  ingrafted  into 
Churches  seeming  at  first  to  be  very  far  removed  from 
Wesley  an  institutions.1 

It  has  been  not  less  so  in  the  Scottish  Churches, 
and   the   Guild  and  Home  Mission  expansion  are 

1  American  Addresses,  pp.  44,  45. 


SCOTLAND  GIVES  PREACHERS.      221 

virtually  the  acceptance  of  the  principles  for  which 
Wesley  testified  in  the  eighteenth  century. 

It  is  no  exaggeration  [says  Mr  Lecky]  to  say  that 
Wesley  lias  had  a  wider  constructive  influence  in  the 
sphere  of  practical  religion  than  any  other  man  who 
has  appeared  since  the  sixteenth  century.1 

I  consider  AVesley  [said  Mr  Southey]  as  the  most 
influential  mind  of  the  last  century — the  man  who  will 
have  produced  the  greatest  effects,  centuries  or  perhaps 
millenniums  hence,  if  the  present  race  of  men  should 
continue  so  long.2 

If  the  John  AVesley  of  Scottish  history  founded 
no  extensive  organisation  on  Scottish  soil,  the  John 
Wesley  in  Scottish  religion  has  been  an  influence 
of  the  deepest  and  most  pervading  kind.  In  Scot- 
land, assuredly,  Wesley's  work  has  been  a  victory  ; 
the  spirit  of  his  movement  within  the  Church  has 
been  an  expansive  force. 

But  Scotland  not  only  was  influenced  by  Method- 
ism, it  also  influenced  Methodism.  It  produced 
some  of  its  ablest  preachers  and  exponents.  "  Scot- 
land has  been  to  Methodism  at  large  what  Britain 
was  to  the  Roman  Empire  and  what  the  Indian 
Empire  has  been  to  Britain — the  training-ground  of 
her  ablest  soldiers."3  Scotland  gave  AVesley  many 
able  coadjutors,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned 
Thomas  Rankin,  a  native  of  Dunbar,  who  was 
appointed  by  Wesley  in  1772  to  the   bead  of  all 

1   History  of  the  Eighteenth  Century,  vol.  ii.  p.  032. 

«  Letter  to  Wtt  tanan,  March  2,  1891. 


222      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

the  Methodist  ministry  in  America;1  Alexander 
Mather,  born  at  Brechin  in  1733,  who  came  under 
Wesley's  influence  in  1754,  became  one  of  his 
preachers,  and  was  always  regarded  as  a  confidential 
adviser.  He  was  the  second  President  of  the  Con- 
ference, after  Wesley's  death,2  and  thus  attained  the 
highest  position  in  the  communion.  But  supreme 
among  them  all  for  ability  and  learning  was  Dr 
Adam  Clarke  (1762-1832),  who,  although  bom  in 
Ireland,  was  of  Scottish  extraction.  He  resembled 
Wesley  in  his  vast  learning  and  attainments  in 
languages.  His  first  work  was  a  Bibliographical 
Dictionary  (8  volumes) ;  his  greatest,  an  edition  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures  with  a  Commentary.  His  mis- 
cellaneous works  were  published  in  13  volumes,  and 
in  vol.  xiii.  will  be  found  an  interesting  diary  of  his 
work  in  the  Shetland  Islands.  At  the  time  when  the 
great  Church  Extension  Scheme  was  going  on  in  the 
larger  centres,  Shetland  had  been  overlooked ;  there 
were  but  twelve  ministers  there  for  a  widely-scattered 
population  of  26,000  souls,3  and  Dr  Clarke  organised 
in  the  islands  Wesley  an  mission  stations  in  1822  and 
subsequent  years.  Dr  Clarke  and  the  preachers 
were  everywhere  kindly  received,  and  did  noble 
work  in  Ultima  Thule.  The  diaries  of  the  preachers 
and  the  records  of  his  own  visits  amid  the  perils  of 
the  deep  form  a  fascinating  chapter  in  biography. 

1  Daniels'  History,  p.  219 ;   and  Jackson's  Early  Methodist 
Preachers,  vol.  v.  p.  136. 

2  Wesley  and  his  Successors,  pp.  27,  28.       3  Vol.  xiii.  p.  128. 


KEV.    DK    ADAM    CLARKE.  223 

He  was  most  earnest  in  pleading  the  interests  of 
Shetlanders,  and  succeeded  in  raising  £3000  in 
England  for  the  purpose  of  providing  churches  in 
the  islands.1  Earnest  Wesley  an,  he  was  still  an 
upholder  of  the  Establishment,  and  in  connection 
with  the  building  of  a  new  parish  church  at  Lerwick 
wrote  as  follows  to  the  building  committee  : — 

Gentlemen, — While  I  consider  the  public  ministry 
of  the  Word  of  God  to  be  of  infinite  importance  to 
mankind,  I  am  also  convinced  that  an  established 
national  religion  in  which  all  the  essential  doctrines 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  distinctly  recognised  and 
faithfully  preached  is  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  : 
under  this  conviction,  I  feel  it  my  duty,  not  only  to 
wish  well  to  all  such  establishments,  but  to  pray  for 
their  prosperity.  As  a  proof  of  my  sincerity  in  this 
profession,  and  of  my  respect  for  the  inhabitants  of 
Lerwick,  have  the  goodness  to  receive  the  accompanying 
ten  guineas  as  my  donation  towards  the  erection  of 
your  church  in  this  town.  —  I  have  the  honour  to 
be,  &&,  Adam  Clarke. 

Church  extension,  inspired  by  such  a  spirit,  was 
not  sectarian  rivalry  but  Christian  service,  and  Dr 
Clarke's  memory  ought  to  be  treasured  by  the  Shet- 
land people  for  his  constant  striving  to  serve  their 
highest  interests.  It  was  said  of  him  :  "  Christum 
pectore,  Christum  ore,  Christum  opere  spirabat."  2 
Hia  advice  to  his  preachers  waa:  "Go  on  believingly. 
Bead  much.     Pray  much.     Believe  much."3     His 

1  Vol.  xiii.  p.  458.        -  Etheridge'a  Life  of  Dr  ( lUurke,  p.  163. 
"  Ibid.,  p.  429. 


224      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

encouragement  was :  "I  believe  the  infant  work 
in  Shetland  to  be  worth  the  whole  kingdom."1 
Almost  his  last  public  utterance  was  the  following 
noble  testimony  at  Frome  in  1831  : — 

Fifty  years  have  now  passed  since  I  first  came  to 
this  place,  preaching  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 
Then,  your  preacher  was  a  boy  in  years,  unskilled  in 
experience,  untaught  in  knowledge,  but  not  wholly  un- 
learned in  that  truth  which  maketh  wise  the  simple. 
Since  that  time  I  have  been  always  learning.  I  have 
studied  my  own  heart,  and  there  is  work  there  to  be 
done.  I  have  been  observing  the  ways,  and  striving 
to  know  the  love  of  God,  in  which  is,  indeed,  a  height 
to  attain,  a  depth  to  penetrate,  a  breadth  to  under- 
stand, which  increases  in  magnitude  as  we  draw  nearer 
to  the  fountain  of  light  and  glory.  And  now,  my 
brethren,  I  come  again  before  you.  My  hairs  are  now 
grey  ;  yet  I  acknowledge  it  as  my  proudest  boast,  that 
Adam  Clarke  is  still  a  learner  at  the  feet  of  his 
Master.2 

Scotland,  in  giving  workers  such  as  these,  gave 
back  a  tribute  to  "Wesley  for  his  great  work  :  it  gave 
as  well  as  received.  Scotland  again  influenced  the 
Church  government  of  Methodism.  Says  Professor 
Cowan  of  Aberdeen  : — 

While  in  many  respects  the  Church  of  the  Wesleys 
differs  from  Presbyterianism  both  in  doctrine  and 
in  discipline,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  in  the  trans- 
formation   of    Methodism   towards    the    close   of    the 


1  Dunn's  Life  of  Dr  Clarke,  p.  149. 

2  Life  and  Labours  of  Dr  Adam  Clarke,  pp.  359,  360. 


INFLUENCE   OF   PKESBYTERY.  225 

eighteenth  century  from  a  society  within  the  Church 
of  England    into    an    organisation    outside    of    it,    the 
neighbourhood  of  a   national   Presbyterian  Church  in 
Scotland  exercised   an  appreciable   influence  both  as 
ail   incentive  and  as  a    model.      "As   soon   as   I   am 
dead/'  said  Wesley,  "the  Methodists  will  be  a  regular 
Presbyterian  Church.*'     His  own  maternal  grandfather 
and  great-grandfather  had  been  notable  Presbyterians  : 
his  father  had  been  educated  as  a  Presbyterian  student, 
and  he  himself  in  his  system  adopted  the  compromise 
between  Episcopacy  and  Presbytery  which  in  the  Scot- 
tish  Reformed  Church  had  been  originally  instituted, 
but   afterwards  discarded — the  office  of  the  superin- 
tendent,   above   the   ordinary   pastors   as   individuals, 
but  subject  to  their  jurisdiction  as  a  body.      In  1792 
the  Wesleyan  leader  Samuel  Bradburn — the  Methodist 
Demosthenes  as  he  has  been  called — frankly  declared 
in  a  controversial  tract :  "  Our  quarterly  meetings  an- 
swer to  those  Church  meetings  in  Scotland  called  the 
ytery  ;   <>ur  district  meetings  agree  exactly  with 
Synod  :  and  the  Conference  with  the  National  or 
i\.         -Whatever  we  may  choose   to 
call   ourselves,    we    must    be    Presbyterians."      A   few 
later,  in  1790,  a  movement  originated  among  the 
Methodists  in  favour  of  an  equal  proportion  of  pastors 
and  laymen  in  the  General  Conference,  after  the  model 
of  the    Scottish    Church   courts;  and   it   is   significant 
that  the  leader  of  this  new  departure,  Alexander  Kil- 
haiij,  had  laboured  for  three  years  as  a  superintendent 
in  Scotland.1     The  movement,  although  defeated,  was 
strong  to  result  in  the  secession  of  301KJ  nieiii- 

.    who  formed   tin-  New  Connexion,  now  number- 
ing 3  kd  within  recent  year.-,  the  main  body  of 


1  Smith'a  Wesleyan  Methodism,  vol.  ii.  pp.  86-144. 

P 


226      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Methodists  have  substantially  adopted  the  views  of 
the  seceders  by  the  establishment  of  a  Representative 
Conference  (auxiliary  of  the  Conference  proper),  which 
takes  place  prior  to  that  of  pastors  and  superinten- 
dents, and  in  which  ministers  and  lay  deputies  sit 
together.  The  approach  of  Methodism  to  Presby- 
terianism  has  thus  become  another  stage  closer  than 
before.1 

Another  prominent  man  in  this  movement  besides 
Alexander  Kilham  was  the  Eev.  W.  Thorn,  who 
was  born  at  Aberdeen  in  1741,  and  was  included 
by  Wesley  in  the  "Legal  Hundred."  He  was 
President  of  the  first  New  Connexion  Conference 
in  1797,  as  well  as  of  five  subsequent  ones.  So 
that  along  with  the  Rev.  A.  Kilham,  who  was  born 
at  Epworth,  the  Scottish  minister,  Mr  Thorn,  not 
only  gained  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him,  but 
had  no  small  influence  in  moulding  the  polity  of 
the  Wesley  an  Church.2 

If  Dean  Stanley's  hope  be  ever  realised,  that  in 
the  United  Church  of  the  future  the  Methodists 
will  prove  the  link  of  unity  between  the  Church  of 
England  and  English  Dissent,  this  connection  just 
indicated  between  Presbytery  and  Methodism  may 
yet  prove  a  meeting-point  for  a  greater  unity  still. 
Far-reaching  results  have  been  brought  about  by 
causes  that  have  often  seemed  trivial :  who  knows 

1  The  Scottish  Church  in  Christendom.     Baird  Lectures  for 
1895.     Pp.  82-84. 

2  See  The  Centenary  of  the  Methodist  New  Connexion,  pp. 
85,  86. 


ST  GILES'  CENTENARY  SERVICE.     227 

what  the  future  lias  in  store,  and  what  forces  work- 
ing in  the  present  may  bring  it  about  1 

This  sketch  must  now  be  closed  by  mentioning 
another  celebration  in  connection  with  John  Wesley 
in  Scotland.  The  centenary  of  Wesley's  death  on 
March  2,  1891,  was  observed  by  a  service  in  St 
Giles'  Cathedral,  Edinburgh,  in  which  prominent 
clergymen  of  all  Churches  took  part,  and  at 
which  representatives  were  officially  present  from 
the  Senate  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh  and  the 
Municipality  of  Edinburgh.  The  great  Cathedral 
was  crowded  to  overflowing,  and  all  classes  did 
honour  to  the  memory  of  the  great  and  good  man. 
The  preacher  described  Wesley  "as  the  greatest 
religious  reformer  of  modern  times,  and  the  dis- 
coverer of  the  art  of  preaching."  The  '  Scotsman ' 
in  commenting,  both  prospectively  and  retrospec- 
tively, on  the  service,  said : — 

It  is  not  always  that  the  modern  passion  for  cen- 
tennial celebrations  has  such  ample  justification  as  it 
has  to-day.  .  .  .  Nowhere,  however,  can  it  have  a 
more  striking  celebration  than  is  to  be  accorded  to  it 
in  the  Scottish  capital.  The  memorial  service  is  in 
itself  a  significant  proof  of  the  importance  of  the  work 
which  John  Wesley  accomplished.  Had  the  observ- 
ance been  confined  to  the  handful  of  his  disciples  this 
side  the  Border,  it  might  have  been  indulgently  passed 
over.  The  world  is  never  too  severe  when  well-meant 
i  by  those  whom  it  ha-  en- 
riched— when  the  memory  of  a  personal  benefactor  is 
tinged  by  a  grateful  idolatry.    But  the  commemoration 


228      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

in  the  Edinburgh  cathedral  means  more  than  this. 
The  presence  of  university  and  municipal  representa- 
tives, along  with  ministers  from  other  than  Methodist 
Churches,  is  an  independent  testimony  from  minds 
well  able  to  judge  to  the  value  of  great  religious  move- 
ments, of  which  Wesley  was  the  great  propelling 
force.1 

In  Wesley,  Britain  acknowledges  one  of  the  greatest 
of  her  sons,  and  Christianity  one  of  the  most  devoted 
of  its  modern  disciples.2 

The  Scotland  of  the  eighteenth  century  always 
gave  John  Wesley  a  courteous  and  respectful  recep- 
tion ;  the  Scotland  of  the  nineteenth  honoured  him 
by  the  presence  of  her  distinguished  sons  in  her 
great  Cathedral,  and  by  prominent  representatives 
of  all  the  Churches  presiding  at  what  may  be  called 
the  National  Thanksgiving  for  his  beautiful  life 
and  his  unique  work.  In  doing  so,  Scotland  duly 
and  worthily  recognised  the  venerable  apostle,  who 
walked  with  God,  and  now  rests  in  the  rest  of 
God. 

1  Scotsman,  March  2,  1891.  =  Ibid.,  March  3,  1891. 


APPENDIX. 


First  Visit  of  the  Rev.  John  "Wesley  to 
Scotland,  1751. 

Wed.,  24  {April  2752]. — Mr  Hopper  and  I  took  horse 
between  three  and  four  (from  Berwick-npon-Tweed) 
and  about  seven  came  to  Old  Camus.  Whether  the 
country  was  good  or  bad  we  could  not  see,  having  a 
thick  mist  all  the  way.  The  Scotch  towns  are  like 
none  which  I  ever  saw,  either  in  England,  Wales,  or 
Ireland  :  there  is  such  an  air  of  antiquity  in  them  all, 
and  such  a  peculiar  oddness  in  their  manner  of  build- 
ing. But  we  were  most  surprized  at  the  entertain- 
ment we  met  with  in  every  place,  so  far  different  from 
common  report.  We  had  all  things  good,  cheap,  in 
great  abundance,  and  remarkably  well-dressed.  In 
the  afternoon  we  rode  by  Preston-Field,  and  saw  the 
place  of  battle,  and  Colonel  Gardiner's  house.  The 
Scotch  here  affirm  that  he  fought  on  foot  after  he  was 
dismounted,  and  refused  to  take  quarter.  Be  it  as 
it  may,  he  is  now  "  where  the  wicked  cease  from 
troubling,  and  where  the  weary  are  at  rest." 

We  reached  Muss -lborough  between  four  and  five. 

I   had  no  intention  to  preach  in  Scotland,  nor  did  I 

imagine  there  were  any  that  desired  I  should.     But  I 

mistaken.      Curiosity   (if   nothing   else)  brought 

abundance  of  people   together  in  the   evening.     And 

whereas  in  die  kirk    Mn  (• informed  me)  there 

•■>  be  laughing  and  talking,  and  all  tin-  marks  of 
the   ..  inattention:    but  it  was  far  otherwise 


230      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

here  :  they  remained  as  statues  from  the  beginning  of 
the  sermon  to  the  end. 

Thur.,  25. — We  rode  to  Edinburgh,  one  of  the  dirtiest 
cities  I  had  ever  seen,  not  excepting  Colen  in  Germany. 

We  returned  to  Musselborough  to  dinner,  whither 
we  were  followed  in  the  afternoon  by  a  little  party  of 
gentlemen  from  Edinburgh.  I  know  not  why  any 
should  complain  of  the  shyness  of  the  Scots  towards 
strangers.  All  I  spoke  with  were  as  free  and  open 
with  me  as  the  people  of  Newcastle  or  Bristol ;  nor 
did  any  person  move  any  dispute  of  any  kind,  or  ask 
me  any  question  concerning  my  opinion. 

I  preached  again  at  six,  on,  "  Seek  ye  the  Lord  while 
He  may  be  found."  I  used  great  plainness  of  speech 
toward  them  ;  and  they  all  received  it  in  love  :  so  that 
the  prejudice  which  the  Devil  had  been  several 
years  planting,  was  torn  up  by  the  roots  in  one  hour. 
After  preaching,  one  of  the  Bailies  of  the  town,  with 
one  of  the  Elders  of  the  Kirk,  came  to  me,  and  begged 
"  I  would  stay  with  them  awhile,  if  it  were  but  two  or 
three  days,  and  they  would  fit  up  a  far  larger  place  than 
the  school,  and  prepare  seats  for  the  congregation." 
Had  not  my  time  been  fixed,  I  should  gladly  have 
complied.  All  I  could  now  do  was,  to  give  them  a 
promise  that  Mr  Hopper  would  come  back  the  next 
week  and  spend  a  few  days  with  them. 

Fri,  26. — I  rode  back  to  Berwick.1 


Second  Visit,  1753. 

Sun.,  15  [April  1753]. — I  preached  in  the  afternoon 
at  Cockermouth,  to  wellnigh  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town.  Intending  to  go  from  thence  into  Scotland,  I 
inquired  concerning  the  road,  and  was  informed  I 
could  not  pass  the  arm  of  the  sea  which  parts  the 
two  Kingdoms,  unless  I  was  at  Bonas,  about  thirty 
miles  from  Cockermouth,  soon  after  five  in  the  niorn- 

1  The  Journal  of  the  Kev.  John  Wesley,  A.M.,  vol.  ii.  pp. 
184,  185. 


APPENDIX.  231 

ing.  At  first  I  thought  of  taking  an  hour  or  two's 
Bleep,  and  setting  out  at  eleven  or  twelve ;  but,  upon 
farther  consideration,  we  chose  to  take  our  journey 
tirst,  and  rest  afterward.  So  we  took  horse  about 
seven,  and  having  a  calm,  moonshiny  night,  reached 
Bonas  before  one.  After  two  or  three  hours'  sleep,  we 
set  out  again,  without  any  faintness  or  drowsiness. 

Our  landlord,  as  he  was  guiding  us  over  the  Frith, 
very  innocently  asked,  "How  much  a  year  we  got  by 
preaching  thus?"  This  gave  me  an  opportunity  of 
explaining  to  him  that  kind  of  gain  which  he  seemed 
utterly  a  stranger  to.  He  appeared  to  be  quite  amazed, 
and  spake  not  one  word,  good  or  bad,  till  he  took  his 
1  save.  Presently  after  he  went,  my  mare  stuck  fast  in 
f!  quagmire,  which  was  in  the  midst  of  the  high  road. 
But  we  could  well  excuse  this  :  for  the  road  all  along 
for  near  fifty  miles  after,  was  such  as  I  never  saw 
any  natural  road,  either  in  England  or  Ireland  :  nay, 
far  better,  notwithstanding  the  continued  rain,  than 
the  turnpike  road  between  London  and  Canterbury. 

We  dined  at  Dumfries,  a  clean,  well-built  town, 
having  two  of  the  most  elegant  churches  (one  at  each 
end  of  the  town)  that  I  have  seen.  We  reached 
Thorny  -  Hill  in  the  evening.  What  miserable 
accounts  pass  current  in  England  of  the  inns  in  Scot- 
land !  Yet  here,  as  well  as  wherever  we  called  in  our 
whole  journey,  we  had  not  only  everything  we  wanted, 
verything  readily,  and  in  good  order,  and  as  clean 
as  I  ever  d< 

•.,  17. — We  set  out  about  four,  and  rode  over 
several  high,  but  extremely  pleasant  mountains,  to 
Lead-Hill,  a  village  of  miners,  resembling  Placey,  near 
Newcastle.  We  dined  at  a  village  called  Lesmahaggy, 
and  about  eight  in  the  evening  reached  Glasgow.  A 
gentleman  who  had  overtaken  us  on  the  road,  sent  one 
with  us  to  Mr  Gilliesfa  house. 

WecLj    18. — I   walked   over  the  city,   which    I   take 

to  be  as  !;  :le-on-Tyne/  The  University 

(like    that   of    Dublin)    is   only    one    College,   consist- 

Dual]    squares:    I  think  n<>i    Larger,  nor 

at  all   handsomer,   than    those    of    Lincoln   College   in 


232      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Oxford.  The  habit  of  the  Students  gave  me  sur- 
prise. They  wear  scarlet  gowns,  reaching  only  to 
their  knees.  Most  I  saw  were  very  dirty,  some 
very  ragged,  and  all  of  very  coarse  cloth.  The  high 
church  is  a  fine  building  :  the  outside  is  equal  to  that 
of  most  cathedrals  in  England  ;  but  it  is  miserably 
defaced  within,  having  no  form,  beauty,  or  symmetry 
left. 

At  seven  in  the  evening  Mr  G.  began  the  service  at 
his  own  (the  College)  church.  It  was  so  full  before 
I  came,  that  I  could  not  get  in  without  a  good  deal  of 
difficulty.  After  singing  and  prayer,  he  explained  a 
part  of  the  Catechism,  which  he  strongly  and  affec- 
tionately applied.  After  sermon  he  prayed  and  sung 
again,  and  concluded  with  the  blessing. 

He  then  gave  out,  one  after  another,  four  hymns, 
which  about  a  dozen  young  men  sung.  He  had  before 
desired  those  who  were  so  minded,  to  go  away  :  but 
scarce  any  stirred  till  all  was  ended. 

Tkur.,  19. — At  seven  I  preached  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  the  town.  But  it  was  an  extremely  rough 
and  blustering  morning.  And  few  people  came  either 
at  the  time  or  place  of  my  preaching :  the  natural  con- 
sequence of  which  was,  that  I  had  but  a  small  congre- 
gation. About  four  in  the  afternoon,  a  tent,  as  they 
term  it,  was  prepared,  a  kind  of  moving  pulpit,  covered 
with  canvas  at  the  top,  behind,  and  on  the  sides.  In 
this  I  preached,  near  the  place  where  I  was  in  the 
morning,  to  near  six  times  as  many  people  as  before. 
And  I  am  persuaded  what  was  spoken  came  to  some 
of  their  hearts,  not  in  word  only,  but  in  power. 

Fri.,  20. — I  had  designed  to  preach  at  the  same 
place  ;  but  the  rain  made  it  impracticable.  So  Mr  G. 
desired  me  to  preach  in  his  church,  where  I  began 
between  seven  and  eight.  Surely  with  God  nothing 
is  impossible  !  Who  would  have  believed,  five  and 
twenty  years  ago,  either  that  the  Minister  would  have 
desired  it,  or  that  I  should  have  consented  to  preach 
in  a  Scotch  kirk  1 

We  had  a  far  larger  congregation  at  four  in  the 
afternoon  than  the  church  could  have  contained.     At 


APPENDIX.  233 

seven  Mr  <;.  preached  another  plain,  homely,  affec- 
tionate sermon.  Has  not  God  still  a  favour  for  this 
city  I  It  was  long  eminent  for  serious  religion.  And 
He  is  able  to  repair  what  is  now  decayed,  and  to  build 
up  the  waste  places. 

Sat.,  Jl. — I  had  designed  to  ride  to  Edinburgh,  but, 
at  the  desire  of  many,  I  deferred  my  journey  till  Mon- 
day. Here  was  now  an  open  and  effectual  door  ;  and 
not  many  adversaries :  I  could  hear  of  none  but  a  poor 
Seceder,  who  went  up  and  down,  and  took  much  pains. 
But  he  did  not  see  much  fruit  of  his  labour  :  the 
people  would  come  and  hear  for  themselves  :  both  in 
the  morning,  when  I  explained  (without  touching  the 
controversy)  "  Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of 
God's  elect  ?"  And  in  the  afternoon,  when  I  enforced, 
"  Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  He  may  be  found." 

fi  .  .  .'. — It  rained  much.  Nevertheless,  upwards 
(I  suppose)  of  a  thousand  people  stayed  with  all  wil- 
lingness, while  I  explained  and  applied,  "This  is  life 
eternal,  to  know  Thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  Thou  hast  sent."  I  was  desired  to  preach 
afterwards  at  the  prison,  which  I  did  about  nine 
o'clock.  All  the  felons,  as  well  as  debtors,  behaved 
with  such  reverence  as  I  never  saw  at  any  prison 
in  England.  It  may  be  some,  even  of  these  Burners, 
will  occasion  joy  in  heaven. 

The  behaviour  of  the  people  at  church,  both  morning 
and  afternoon,  was  beyond  any  thing  I  ever  saw,  but 
in  our  congregations.  None  bowed  or  curtsied  to  each 
other,  either  before  or  after  the  service:  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  which  none  talked,  or  looked 
at  any  but  the  .Minister.  Surely  much  of  the  power 
Uiness  was  here,  when  there  is  so  much  of  the 
form  still. 

The  meadow,  where  I  stood  in  the  afternoon,  was 
filled  from  side  to  ride.  I  spoke  as  closely  as  ever  in 
my  life.  Many  of  the  students,  and  many  of  the 
soldiers,  were  there  :  and  I  bear  them  witness,  they 
could  bear  sound  doctrine. 

-I/'/  .  ■  round  by  Kil- 

lythe,  in  ordei   to  see  that  venerable  man.  Mr  Robe, 


234      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

who  was  every  day  expecting  (what  his  soul  longed 
for)  "to  depart  and  be  with  Christ."  But  the  con- 
tinual rains  had  made  it  impracticable  for  us  to  add 
so  many  miles  to  our  day's  journey.  So  we  rode  on, 
straight  by  the  Kirk  of  Shots  :  reached  Edinburgh 
by  five  in  the  afternoon  :  lodged  at  Tranent,  and  on 
Tuesday,  24,  came  to  Berwick  in  good  time,  where  I 
preached  on  the  Bowling- Green  at  six.1 


Third  Visit,  1757. 

Mon.,  30  [May  1757]. — I  rode  to  Wigton  :  a  neat, 
well-built  town,  on  the  edge  of  Cumberland.  .  .  . 
Between  four  and  five  we  crossed  Solway  Firth,  and 
before  seven  reached  an  ill-looking  house,  called  The 
Brow,  which  we  came  to  by  mistake,  having  passed 
the  house  we  were  directed  to.  I  believe  God  directed 
us  better  than  man.  Two  young  women,  we  found, 
kept  the  house,  who  had  lost  both  their  parents  :  their 
mother  very  lately.  I  had  great  liberty  in  praying 
with  them  and  for  them.  Who  knows  but  God  will 
fasten  something  upon  them,  which  they  will  not 
easily  shake  off? 

Tues.,  31. — I  breakfasted  at  Dumfries,  and  spent 
an  hour  with  a  poor  backslider  of  London,  who  had 
been  for  some  years  settled  there.  We  then  rode 
through  an  uncommonly  pleasant  country  (so  widely 
distant  is  common  report  from  truth)  to  Thorny-Hill, 
two  or  three  miles  from  the  Duke  of  Queensborough's 
seat ;  an  ancient  and  noble  pile  of  building,  delight- 
fully situated,  on  the  side  of  a  pleasant  and  fruitful 
hill :  but  it  gives  no  pleasure  to  its  owner,  for  he 
does  not  even  behold  it  with  his  eyes.  Surely  this 
is  a  sore  evil  under  the  sun  :  a  man  has  all  things, 
and  enjoys  nothing. 

We  rode  after  ward  partly  over,  and  partly  between 
some  of  the  finest  mountains,  I  believe,  in  Europe, 

i  Journal,  vol.  ii.  pp.  239-242. 


k.s 


APPENDIX.  235 

higher  than  most,  if  not  than  any  in  England,  and 
clothed  with  grass  to  the  very  top.  Soon  after  four 
we  came  to  Lead-hill,  a  little  town  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  wholly  inhabited  by  miners. 

Wt  June  1. — We  rode  on  to   Glasgow  :    a 

mil.-  short  of  which  we  met  Mr  Gillies,  riding  out  to 
meet  us. 

In  the  evening  the  tent  (so  they  call  a  covered 
pulpit)  was  placed  in  the  yard  of  the  poorhouse,  a 
very  large  and  commodious  place.  Fronting  the  pul- 
pit was  the  infirmary,  with  most  of  the  patients  at 
or  near  the  windows.  Adjoining  to  this  was  the  hos- 
pital for  lunatics  :  several  of  them  gave  deep  attention. 
And  cannot  God  give  them  also  the  spirit  of  a  sound 
mind  ?  After  sermon  they  brought  four  children 
to  baptize.  I  was  at  the  kirk  in  the  morning, 
while  the  Minister  baptized  several,  immediately 
after  sermon :  so  I  was  not  at  a  loss  as  to  their 
manner  of  baptizing.  I  believe  this  removed  much 
prejudice. 

FrL,  -J  [June]. — At  seven  the  congregation  was  in- 
creased, and  earnest  attention  sat  on  every  face.  In 
the  afternoon  we  walked  to  the  college,  and  saw  the 
new  library,  with  the  collection  of  pictures.  Many  of 
them  are  by  Raphael,  Rubens,  Vandyke,  and  other 
eminent  hands  :  but  they  have  not  room  to  place  them 
to  advantage,  their  whole  building  being  very  small. 

..  4- — I  walked  through  all  parts  of  the  old  cathe- 
dral, a  very  large  and  once  beautiful  structure  ;  I 
think  more  lofty  than  that  at  Canterbury,  and  nearly 
the  same  length  and  breadth  :  we  then  went  up  the 
main  steeple,  which  gave  us  a  fine  prospect,  both  of 

ity  and  the  adjacent  country.  A  more  fruitful 
and  better  cultivated  plain  is  scarce  to  be  Been  in 
England.  Indeed  nothing  is  wanting  but  more  trade 
(which  would  naturally  bring  more  people)  to  make  a 
part  of  Scotland  no  way  inferior  to  the  best 
counties  in  England. 

I   wa-s  much   pleased   with   the  f  the 

people  in  the  evening  ;  but  -till  I  prefer  the  English 

.not  be  reconciled  to  men  sitting  at 


236      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

prayer,  or  covering  their  heads  while  they  are  singing 
praise  to  God. 

Sun.,  5.  —  At  seven  the  congregation  was  just  as 
large  as  my  voice  could  reach  ;  and  I  did  not  spare 
them  at  all  ;  so  if  any  will  deceive  himself,  I  am  clear 
of  his  blood.  In  the  afternoon  it  was  judged  two 
thousand,  at  least,  went  away,  not  being  able  to  hear  ; 
but  several  thousands  heard  very  distinctly,  the  even- 
ing being  calm  and  still.  After  preaching  I  met  as 
many  as  desired  it,  of  the  members  of  the  praying 
societies.  T  earnestly  advised  them  to  meet  Mr  Gillies 
every  week  ;  and  at  their  other  meetings  not  to  talk 
loosely,  and  in  general,  (as  their  manner  had  been,)  on 
some  head  of  religion,  but  to  examine  each  other's 
hearts  and  lives. 

Mon.,  6. — We  took  horse  early,  and  in  three  hours 
reached  the  Kirk  of  Shots,  where  the  landlord  seemed 
to  be  unusually  affected  by  a  few  minutes'  conversa- 
tion ;  as  did  also  the  woman  of  the  house  where  we 
dined.  We  came  to  Musselborough  at  five.  I  went 
to  an  inn,  and  sent  for  Mr  Bailiff  Lindsey,  whom  I 
had  seen  several  years  ago.  He  came  immediately, 
and  desired  me  to  make  his  house  my  home.  At 
seven  I  preached  in  the  poor-house,  to  a  large,  and 
deeply  attentive  congregation.  But  the  number  of 
people  making  the  room  extremely  hot,  I  preached  in 
the  morning  before  the  door.  Speaking  afterwards  to 
the  members  of  the  society,  I  was  agreeably  surprised 
to  find  more  than  two-thirds  knew  in  whom  they  had 
believed  ;  and  the  tree  was  known  by  its  fruits.  The 
national  shyness  and  stubbornness  were  gone,  and 
they  were  as  open  and  teachable  as  little  children. 
At  seven  five  or  six  and  forty  of  the  fifty  dragoons, 
and  multitudes  of  the  town's-people  attended.  Is  the 
time  come,  that  even  these  wise  Scots  shall  become 
fools  for  Christ's  sake  1 

Wed.,  S. — I  rode  to  Dunbar.  Here  also  I  found  a 
little  society,  most  of  them  rejoicing  in  God  their 
Saviour.  At  eleven  I  went  out  into  the  main  street, 
and  began  speaking  to  a  congregation  of  two  men  and 
i  wo  women.     These  were  soon  joined  by  above  twenty 


APPENDIX.  237 

little  children,  and  not  long  after  by  a  large  number  of 
young  and  old.  On  a  sudden  the  sun  broke  out  and 
shone  full  in  my  face  ;  but  in  a  few  moments  I  felt  it 
not.  In  the  afternoon  I  rode  to  Berwick-upon-Tweed. 
They  did  not  expect  me  till  the  next  day  ;  however,  a 
congregation  quickly  assembled,  and  one  as  large,  if 
not  larger,  at  five  in  the  morning. 

Tkur.,  9. — To-day,  'Douglas,'  the  play  which  has 
made  so  much  noise,  was  put  into  my  hands.  I  was 
astonished  to  find  it  is  one  of  the  finest  tragedies  I 
ever  read.  What  pity  that  a  few  lines  were  not  left 
out !  and  that  it  was  ever  acted  at  Edinburgh  ! 

/•'  '.,  10. — I  found  myself  much  out  of  order,  till  the 
flux  stopped  at  once,  without  any  medicine  ;  but  being 
still  weak,  and  the  sun  shining  extremely  hot,  I  was 
afraid  I  should  not  be  able  to  go  round  by  Kelso.  Vain 
fear  !  God  took  care  for  this  also.  The  wind  which 
had  been  full  east  for  several  days,  turned  this  morning 
full  west,  and  blew  just  in  our  face ;  and  about  ten  the 
clouds  rose,  and  kept  us  cool  till  we  came  to  Kelso. 

At  six  William  Coward  and  I  went  to  the  Market- 
house.  We  stayed  some  time,  and  neither  man, 
woman,  nor  child  came  near  us.  At  length  I  began 
singing  a  Scotch  psalm,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  people 
came  within  hearing,  but  with  great  circumspection, 
keeping  their  distance,  as  though  they  knew  not  what 
might  follow.  But  while  I  prayed,  their  number 
increased,  so  that  in  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  pretty 
large  congregation.  I  suppose  the  chief  men  of  the 
town  were  were,  and  I  spared  neither  rich  nor  poor. 
I  almost  wondered  at  myself,  it  not  being  usual  with 
me   to  keen  and   cutting   expressions  ;    and    I 

believe  many  felt  that,  for  all  their  form,  they  were 
but  heathens  still. 

..  11.     Near  as  many  were  present  at  fii 
whom  I  spoke  full  as  plain  as  before.     Many  looked 
as  if  they  would  look  us   through  ;   but    the  shyness 
peculiar  to  this  nation,  prevented  their  savin-  anything 

to  me,  good  or  bad,  while  1  walked  through  them  to 

our  inn. 

1  Diary,  vol.  ii.  | 


238      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 


Fourth  Visit,  1759. 

Mon.,  21  \May  1759]. — I  preached  at  ten,  in  the 
Market-place  at  Wigton,  and  came  to  Solway  Frith, 
just  as  the  water  was  fordable.  At  some  times  it  is  so, 
three  hours  in  twelve ;  at  other  times  barely  one. 

After  making  a  short  bait  at  Rothwell,  we  came  to 
Dumfries  before  six  o'clock.  Having  time  to  spare,  we 
took  a  walk  in  the  church -yard,  one  of  the  pleasantest 
places  I  ever  saw.  A  single  tomb  I  observed  there, 
which  was  about  an  hundred  and  thirty  years  old. 
But  the  inscription  was  very  hardly  legible  :  "Quando- 
quidem  remanent  ipsis  quoque  fata  sepulchris  ! "  So 
soon  do  even  our  sepulchres  die  !  Strange,  that  men 
should  be  so  careful  about  them  !  But  are  not  many 
self  -  condemned  therein  %  They  see  the  folly,  while 
they  run  into  it.  So  poor  Mr  Prior,  speaking  of  his 
own  tomb,  has  those  melancholy  words  :  "  For  this 
last  piece  of  human  vanity  I  bequeath  five  hundred 
pounds." 

Tues.,  22.— We  rode  through  a  pleasant  country,  to 
Thorny-Hill ;  near  which  is  the  grand  seat  of  the 
Duke  of  Queensborough.  How  little  did  the  late 
Duke  imagine,  that  his  son  would  plough  up  his 
park,  and  let  his  house  run  to  ruin  !  But  let  it  go  ! 
In  a  little  time  the  earth  itself,  and  all  the  works 
of  it,  shall  be  burned  up. 

Hence  we  rode  through  and  over  huge  mountains, 
green  to  the  very  top,  to  Lead-hills,  a  village  contain- 
ing five  hundred  families  who  have  had  no  Minister 
for  these  four  years.  So  in  Scotland  the  poor  have  not 
the  Gospel  preached  !  Who  shall  answer  for  the  blood 
of  these  men  % 

Early  in  the  evening  we  came  to  Lesmahagow,  a 
village  not  so  large  as  Lead-hills.  It  has,  however, 
two  Ministers.  Here  also  we  walked  down  to  the 
churchyard,  by  the  side  of  which  a  little  clear  river 
runs,  near  the  foot  of  a  high  and  steep  mountain.  The 
wood  which  covers  this  makes  the  walks  that  run  on 


APPENDIX.  239 

l(  -  pleasant  beyond  imagination.  But  what  taste 
have  the  good  people  of  the  town  for  this  I  As  much 
as  the  animals  that  graze  on  the  river  bank. 

Wed.,  85. — We  took  horse  soon  after  four,  and 
did  not  stop  before  we  came  to  Glasgow ;  having 
hardly  seen  a  cloud  in  the  sky  since  we  set  out  from 
Whitehaven. 

I  preached  at  seven,  in  the  Poorhouse  ;  and  at  seven 

in  the  morning.  Thursday,  24th.     But  in  the  evening 

we  were  obliged  to  be  abroad,  and  I  used  great  plain- 

i  speech.     All  Buffered  the  word  of  exhortation  ; 

some  seemed  to  be  a  little  affected. 

—I  found  the  little  Society  which  I  had 
joined  here  two  years  since  had  soon  split  in  pieces. 
In  the  afternoon  I  met  several  of  the  Members  of  the 
praying  societies,  and  showed  them  what  Christian 
fellowship  was,  and  what  need  they  had  of  it.  About 
forty  of  them  met  me  on  Sunday  27,  in  Mr  Gillies's 
kirk,  immediately  after  evening  service.  I  left  them 
determined  to  meet  Mr  Gillies  weekly,  at  the  same 
time  and  place.  If  this  be  done,  I  shall  try  to  see 
Glasgow  again  ;  if  not,  I  can  employ  my  time  better. 

At  seven  in  the  morning  we  had  a  numerous  con- 
gregation, though  small  compared  to  that  in  the  even- 
ing. Yet  my  voice  was  so  strengthened  that  I  believe 
all  could  hear.  I  spoke  very  plain  on,  "Ye  must  be 
born  again."  Now  I  am  clear  of  the  blood  of  this 
people.     I  have  delivered  my  own  soul. 

JBbn.,  28. — I  rode  through  Edinburgh  to  Mussel- 
burgh, and  preached  in  the  evening  to  a  deeply  atten- 
tive congregation. 

11  '•'/.,  SO. — I  rode  on  to  Dunbar,  and  at  six  in  the 
evening  preached  in  a  large,  open  place  (as  also  the 
next  day).  Both  poor  and  rich  quickly  attended, 
though  most  of  them  shivering  with  cold  ;  for  the 
weather  was  bo  changed  within  a  few  days,  that  it 
seemed  more  like  December  than  May. 

Lodging  with  a  sensible  man,  I  inquired  particularly 
into  the  present  discipline  of  the  Scotch  parishes.  In 
one  parish,  it  seems,  there  are  twelve  ruling  Elders  ; 
in  another  there  are  fourteen.     And  what  are  the.-^e  \ 


240      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

Men  of  great  sense  and  deep  experience  ?  Neither  one 
nor  the  other.  But  they  are  the  richest  men  in  the 
parish.  And  are  the  richest  of  course  the  best  and  the 
wisest  men  *?  Does  the  Bible  teach  this  1  I  fear  not. 
What  manner  of  governors  then  will  these  be  1  Why, 
they  are  generally  just  as  capable  of  governing  a  parish 
as  of  commanding  an  army.1 


Fifth  Visit,  1761. 

Mon.,  27  [April  1761]. — Before  noon  we  came  to 
Solway  Frith.  The  guide  told  us  it  was  not  passable, 
but  I  resolved  to  try,  and  got  over  well.  Having 
lost  ourselves  but  twice  or  thrice  in  one  of  the  most 
difficult  roads  I  ever  saw,  we  came  to  Moffat  in  the 
evening. 

Tues.,  28. — We  rode  partly  over  the  mountains, 
partly  with  mountains  on  either  hand,  between  which 
was  a  clear,  winding  river,  and  about  four  in  the  after- 
noon reached  Edinburgh. 

Here  I  met  Mr  Hopper,  who  had  promised  to 
preach  in  the  evening,  in  a  large  room,  lately  an 
episcopal  meeting-house. 

Wed.,  29. — It  being  extremely  cold,  I  preached  in 
the  same  room  at  seven.  Some  of  the  reputable 
hearers  cried  out  in  amaze,  "  Why,  this  is  sound 
doctrine  !  Is  this  he  of  whom  Mr  Wh.  used  to  talk 
so  1 "     Talk  as  he  will,  I  shall  not  retaliate. 

I  preached  again  in  the  evening,  and  the  next  day 
rode  round  by  the  Queen's-Ferry  to  Dundee  ;  but  the 
wind  being  high,  the  boatmen  could  not,  at  least  would 
not,  pass.  Nor  could  we  pass  the  next  day  till  between 
nine  and  ten.  We  then  rode  on  through  Montrose  to 
Stonehaven.  Here  Mr  Memis  met  us,  and  on  Saturday 
morning  brought  us  to  his  house  at  Aberdeen. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  sent  to  the  Principal  and  Regent 
to  desire  leave  to  preach  in  the  College-Close.     This 

1  Diary,  vol.  ii.  pp.  427-429. 


APPENDIX.  241 

was  readily  -ranted  :  but  as  it  began  to  rain,  I  was 
desired  to  go  into  the  hall.  I  suppose  this  is  full  a 
hundred  feet  long,  and  seated  all  round.  The  con- 
gregation was  large,  notwithstanding  the  rain,  and 
full  as  large  at   five  in  the  morning. 

Sunday)  May  Sd. — I  heard  two  useful  sermons  at 
the  Kirk,  one  preached  by  the  Principal  of  the  College, 
the  other  by  the  Divinity  Professor.  A  huge  multi- 
tude afterwards  gathered  together  in  the  College-Close ; 
and  all  that  could  hear  seemed  to  receive  the  truth  in 
love.  I  then  added  about  twenty  to  the  little  Society. 
Fair  blossoms  !  But  how  many  of  these  will  bring 
forth  fruit  / 

MotLj  4- — We  had  another  large  congregation  at  five. 
Before  noon,  twenty  more  came  to  me,  desiring  to  cast 
in  their  lot  with  us,  and  appearing  to  be  cut  to  the 
heart. 

About  noon,  I  took  a  walk  to  the  King's  College,  in 
Old  Aberdeen.  It  has  three  sides  of  a  square  hand- 
somely built,  not  unlike  Queen's  College  in  Oxford. 
Going  up  to  see  the  Hall,  we  found  a  large  company 
of  ladies,  with  several  gentlemen.  They  looked  and 
spoke  to  one  another,  after  which  one  of  the  gentlemen 
took  courage  and  came  to  me.  He  said,  "  We  came 
last  night  to  the  College-Close,  but  could  not  hear,  and 
should  be  extremely  obliged  if  you  would  give  us  a 
short  discourse  here.:;  I  knew  not  what  God  might 
have  to  do,  and  so  began  without  delay,  on,  "  God 
was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself." 
I  believe  the  word  was  not  lost.  It  fell  as  dew  on 
the  tend< 

In  the  afternoon,  I  was  walking  in  the  Library  of 
the  MarischaJ  College,  when  the  Principal,  and  the 
Divinity  1'  came  to  me.  and  the  latter  invited 

me  to  hi-  vhere  I  -pent  an  hour  very  agree- 

ably. In  the  evening,  the  eagerness  of  the  people 
trample  each  other  under  foot. 
It  was  Borne  time  before  they  were  still  enough  to 
hear;  but  then  they  devoured  every  word.  After 
bing,  >ir  Archibald  (/rant  (whom  business  had 
called  to  town)  sent  and  desired  to  -peak  to  me.     I 

Q 


242      WESLEY    AND   WHITE  FIELD    IN    SCOTLAND. 

could  not  then,  but  promised  to  wait  upon  him,  with 
God's  leave,  on  my  return  to  Edinburgh. 

Tues.,  5. — I  accepted  the  Principal's  invitation,  and 
spent  an  hour  with  him  at  his  house.  I  observed  no 
stiffness  at  all,  but  the  easy  good  breeding  of  a  man  of 
sense  and  learning.  I  suppose  both  he  and  all  the 
Professors,  with  some  of  the  Magistrates,  attended  in 
the  evening.  I  set  all  the  windows  open,  but  the 
hall,  notwithstanding,  was  as  hot  as  a  bagnio.  But 
this  did  not  hinder  either  the  attention  of  the  people, 
or  the  blessing  of  God. 

Wed.,  6. — We  dined  at  Mr  Ogilvey's,  one  of  the 
Ministers,  between  whom  the  city  is  divided.  A 
more  open-hearted,  friendly  man,  I  know  not  that  I 
ever  saw.  And  indeed  I  have  scarce  seen  such  a  set 
of  Ministers  in  any  town  of  Great  Britain  or  Ireland. 
At  half  an  hour  after  six,  I  stood  in  the  College-Close, 
and  proclaimed  Christ  crucified.  My  voice  was  so 
strengthened  that  all  could  hear  :  all  were  earnestly 
attentive.  I  have  now  cast  my  bread  upon  the  waters  : 
may  I  find  it  again  after  many  days  ! 

Thur.,  7. — Leaving  near  ninety  members  in  the 
Society,  I  rode  over  to  Sir  A.  Grant's,  near  Mony- 
musk,  about  twenty  miles  north  -  west  from  Aber- 
deen. It  lies  in  a  fruitful  and  pleasant  valley, 
much  of  which  is  owing  to  Sir  Archibald's  improve- 
ments, who  has  ploughed  up  abundance  of  waste 
ground,  and  planted  some  millions  of  trees.  His 
stately  old  house  is  surrounded  by  gardens,  and  rows 
of  trees,  with  a  clear  river  on  one  side  :  and  about  a 
mile  from  his  house,  he  has  laid  out  a  small  valley 
into  walks  and  gardens,  on  one  side  of  which  the 
river  runs.  On  each  side  rises  a  steep  mountain  ; 
one  rocky  and  bare,  the  other  covered  with  trees,  row 
above  row,  to  the  very  top. 

About  six,  we  went  to  the  church.  It  was  pretty 
well  filled  with  such  persons  as  we  did  not  look  for,  so 
near  the  Highlands.  But  if  we  were  surprised  at 
their  appearance,  we  were  much  more  so  at  their 
singing.  Thirty  or  forty  sang  an  anthem  after  ser- 
mon, with  such  voices  as  well  as  judgment,  that  I 


APPENDIX.  243 

doubt  whether  they  could  have  been  excelled  at  any 
cathedra]  in  England. 

/>/.,  8. — We  rode  to  Glammis,  about  sixty- four 
measured  miles  ;  and  on  Saturday,  9th,  about  sixty- 
six  more  to  Edinburgh.  I  was  tired  :  however,  I 
would  not  disappoint  the  congregation  :  and  God  gave 
me  strength  according  to  my  day. 

S  ..  10. — I  had  designed  to  preach  near  the  In- 
firmary ;  but  some  of  the  managers  would  not  suffer 
it.  So  1  preached  in  our  Room,  morning  and  evening, 
evtn  to  the  rich  and  honourable.  And  I  bear  them 
witness,  they  will  endure  plain  dealing,  whether  they 
profit  by  it  or  not. 

Mon.^  11. — I  took  my  leave  of  Edinburgh  for  the 
nt.  The  situation  of  the  city,  on  a  hill  shelving 
down  on  both  sides,  as  well  as  to  the  east,  with  the 
stately  castle  upon  a  craggy  rock  on  the  west,  is 
inexpressibly  fine  ;  and  the  main  street  so  broad  and 
finely  paved,  with  the  lofty  houses  on  either  hand 
[many  of  them  seven  or  eight  stories  high),  is  far 
beyond  any  in  Great  Britain.  But  how  can  it  be 
Buffered,  that  all  manner  of  filth  should  still  be  thrown 
even  into  this  street  continually  ?  Where  are  the 
magistrates,  the  gentry,  the  nobility  of  this  land  1 
Have  they  no  concern  for  the  honour  of  their  nation  1 
How  long  shall  the  capital  city  of  Scotland,  yea,  and 
the  chief  street  of  it,  stink  worse  than  a  common 
sewer  i  Will  no  lover  of  his  country,  or  of  decency 
and  common  sense,  find  a  remedy  for  this  ? 

Holy  rood  House,  at  the  entrance  of  Edinburgh,  the 
ancient  palace  of  the  Scottish  kings,  is  a  noble  struc- 
ture :  it  was  rebuilt  and  furnished  by  King  Charles 
tin-  Second.  One  side  of  it  is  a  picture  gallery, 
wherein  are  pictures  of  all  the  Scottish  kings  ;  and 
an  original  one  of  the  celebrated  Queen  Mary.  It  is 
nible  for  any  who  looks  at  this,  to  think  her 
suchamoi  >me  have  painted  her:  nor  indeed 

for  any  wl  -  the  circumstances  of  her  death, 

equal  to  that  of  an  ancient  martyr. 

I  preached  in  the  evening  at  Afusselborough,  and  at 
five  in  the  morning.     Then  we  rode  on  to  Haddington, 


244      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN    SCOTLAND. 

where  (the  rain  driving  me  in)  I  preached,  between 
nine  and  ten,  in  Provost  Dickson's  parlour.  About 
one  I  preached  at  North  Berwick,  a  pretty  large  town, 
close  to  the  sea-shore  ;  and  at  seven  in  the  evening, 
(the  rain  continuing)  in  the  house  at  Dunbar. 

Wed.,  13. — It  being  a  fair,  mild  evening,  I  preached 
near  the  Quay,  to  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town, 
and  spoke  full  as  plain  as  the  evening  before.  Every 
one  seemed  to  receive  it  in  love  :  probably  if  there  was 
regular  preaching  here,  much  good  might  be  done. 

Thur.,  lJf. — I  set  out  early,  and  preached,  at  noon, 
on  the  Bowling-Green  at  Berwick-upon-Tweed.  In 
the  evening  I  preached  at  Alnwick.1 


Sixth  Visit,  1763. 

Mon.,  May  16  [17631. — Setting  out  a  month  later 
than  usual,  I  judged  it  needful  to  make  the  more 
haste  ;  so  I  took  postchaises,  and,  by  that  means,  easily 
reached  Newcastle  on  Wednesday,  18th.  Thence  I 
went  on  at  leisure,  and  came  to  Edinburgh  on  Satur- 
day, 21st.  The  next  day  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
spending  a  little  time  with  Mr  Whitefield.  Humanly 
speaking,  he  is  worn  out :  but  we  have  to  do  with 
Him  who  hath  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth. 

Mon.,  23. — I  rode  to  Forfar,  and  on  Tuesday,  the 
24th,  rode  on  to  Aberdeen. 

Wed.,  25. — I  inquired  into  the  state  of  things  here. 
Surely  never  was  there  a  more  open  door.  The  four 
Ministers  of  Aberdeen,  the  Minister  of  the  adjoining 
town,  and  the  three  Ministers  of  Old  Aberdeen, 
hitherto  seem  to  have  no  dislike,  but  rather  to  "  wish 
us  good  luck  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  Most  of  the 
town's  people  as  yet  seem  to  wish  us  well,  so  that 
there  is  no  opposition  of  any  kind.  O  what  spirit 
ought  a  Preacher  to  be  of,  that  he  may  be  able  to  bear 
all  this  sunshine  ! 

1  Diary,  vol.  iii.  pp.  50-53. 


APPENDIX.  245 

About  noon  I  went  to  Gordon's  Hospital,  built  near 
the  town  for  poor  children.  It  is  an  exceeding  hand- 
some building,  and  (what  is  not  common)  kept  exceed- 
ing clean.  The  gardens  are  pleasant,  well  laid  out, 
and  in  extremely  good  order.  But  the  old  bachelor 
who  founded  it,  has  expressly  provided,  That  no 
woman  should  ever  be  there. 

At  seven,  the  evening  being  fair  and  mild,  I 
bed  to  a  multitude  of  people  in  the  College-Close, 
on.  "  Stand  in  the  ways  and  see,  and  ask  for  the  old 
paths."  But  the  next  evening,  the  weather  being  raw 
and  cold,  I  preached  in  the  College-hall.  What  an 
amazing  willingness  to  hear  runs  through  this  whole 
Kingdom  !  There  want  only  a  few  zealous,  active 
labourers,  who  desire  nothing  but  God,  and  they 
might  soon  carry  the  Gospel  through  all  this  country, 
even  as  high  as  the  Orkneys. 

Fri.,  27. — I  set  out  for  Edinburgh  again.  About 
one,  I  preached  at  Brechin.  All  were  deeply  attentive. 
Perhaps  a  few  may  not  be  forgetful  hearers.  After- 
wards we  rode  on  to  Broughty  Castle,  two  or  three 
miles  below  Dundee.  We  were  in  hopes  of  passing 
the  river  here,  though  we  could  not  at  the  town  :  but 
and  our  horses  could  not  pass  till  eleven  or 
twelve  at  night.  So  we  judged  it  would  be  best  to  go 
over  ourselves,  and  leave  them  behind.  In  a  little 
time  we  procured  a  kind  of  a  boat,  about  half  as  long 
as  a  London  wherry,  and  three  or  four  feet  broad, 
after  we  had  put  off,  I  perceived  it  leaked  on  all 
sides,  nor  had  we  anything  to  lade  out  the  water. 
When  we  came  toward  the  middle  of  the  river,  which 
three  mil--  over,  the  wind  being  high,  and  the 
water  rough,  our  boatmen  seemed  a  little  surprised. 
But  we  encouraged  them  to  pull  away,  and,  in  less 
than  half  an  hour,  we  landed  safe.  Our  horses  were 
brought  after  us,  and  the  next  day  we  rode  on  to 
Kinghorn  Ferry,  and  had  a  pleasant  p.  Leith. 

.  '.—I  preached  at  -even,  in  the  High   School- 
yard at  Edinburgh*     It  being  the  time  of  the  Gei 

mbly,  which  drew  together  not  the  Ministers  only, 
but  abundance  of  the   nobility  and  gentry,  many  of 


246      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

both  sorts  were  present  :  but  abundantly  more  at  five 
in  the  afternoon.  I  spoke  as  plain  as  ever  I  did  in  my 
life  :  but  I  never  knew  any  in  Scotland  offended  at 
plain-dealing.  In  this  respect,  the  North  Britons  are 
a  pattern  to  all  mankind. 

Mon.,  30. — I  rode  to  Dunbar.  In  the  evening  it 
was  very  cold,  and  the  wind  was  exceeding  high. 
Nevertheless  I  would  not  pen  myself  up  in  the  room, 
but  resolved  to  preach  in  the  open  air.  We  saw  the 
fruit :  many  attended,  notwithstanding  the  cold,  who 
never  set  foot  in  the  room  ;  and  I  am  still  persuaded 
much  good  will  be  done  here,  if  we  have  zeal  and 
patience.1 

Seventh  Visit,  1764. 

The  next  evening  [May  24]  I  preached  at  Dunbar  : 
and  on  Friday,   25th,  about  ten,  at  Haddington,  in 

Provost  D 's  yard,  to  a  very  elegant  congregation. 

But  I  expect  little  good  will  be  done  here  :  for  we 
begin  at  the  wrong  end.  Beligion  must  not  go  "  from 
the  greatest  to  the  least,"  or  the  power  "would 
appear  to  be  of  men."  In  the  evening  I  preached  at 
Musselborough,  and  the  next,  on  the  Calton  Hill  at 
Edinburgh.  It  being  the  time  of  the  General  As- 
sembly, many  of  the  Ministers  were  there.  The  wind 
was  high  and  sharp,  and  blew  away  a  few  delicate 
ones :  but  most  of  the  congregation  did  not  stir  till  I 
had  concluded. 

Sun.,  27. — At  seven  I  preached  in  the  High  School- 
yard, on  the  other  side  of  the  city.  The  morning 
was  extremely  cold.  In  the  evening  it  blew  a  storm. 
However,  having  appointed  to  be  on  the  Calton  Hill, 
I  began  there,  to  a  huge  congregation.  At  first,  the 
wind  was  a  little  troublesome,  but  I  soon  forgot  it : 
and  so  did  the  people,  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  in 
which  I  fully  delivered  my  own  soul. 

Mon.,   28.  —  I   spent    some    hours    at   the    General 

1  Diary,  vol.  iii.  pp.  129,  130. 


APPENDIX.  247 

iblv,  composed  <>f  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
Ministers.  I  was  surprised  to  observe,  1.  That  any 
one  was  admitted,  even  lads  twelve  or  fourteen  years 
old  :  2.  That  the  chief  speakers  were  lawyers,  six  or 
Beven  on  one  side  only:  3.  That  a  single  question 
took  up  the  whole  time,  which,  when  I  went  away, 
Beemed  to  be  as  far  from  a  conclusion  as  ever,  namely, 
"Shall  Mr  Lindsay  be  removed  to  Kilmarnock  parish 
or  not  ? ;'  The  argument  for  it  was,  "  He  has  a  large 
family,  and  this  living  is  twice  as  good  as  his  own." 
The  argument  against  it  was,  "The  people  are  re- 
solved not  to  hear  him,  and  will  leave  the  kirk  if 
he  conies."  If  then  the  real  point  in  view  had  been, 
as  their  law  directs,  "Majus  bonuni  Ecclesiae,"  instead 
of  taking  up  five  hours,  the  debate  might  have  been 
determined  in  five  minutes. 

On  Monday  and  Tuesday  I  spoke  to  the  members 
of  the  society  severally. 

Thar.,  SI. — I  rode  to  Dundee,  and,  about  an  hour 
after  six,  preached  on  the  side  of  a  meadow  near  the 
town.  Poor  and  rich  attended.  Indeed  there  is 
seldom  fear  of  wanting  a  congregation  in  Scotland. 
But  the  misfortune  is  they  know  everything :  so 
they  learn  nothing. 

/'•  ■•biif.  J  line  1. — I  rode  to  Brechin,  where  Mr 
Blair  received  me  in  the  most  friendly  manner.  In 
the  afternoon,  I  preached  on  the  side  of  a  hill  near 
the   town,  win-  on   forgot  the  cold.      I   trust 

there  will  be  not  only  a  knowing,  but  a  loving  people 
in  this  place.  About  Beven,  Mr  B.  was  occasionally 
oning  what  had  lately  occurred  in  the  next  parish. 
I  thought  it  worth  a  farther  inquiry,  and  therefore 
redourhon  brought  immediately.    MrB. 

guided  us  to  Mr  Ogilvie'fl  house,  the  Minister  of  the 
h,  who  informed  us,  "That  a  strange  disorder 
bad  appeared  in  his  parish  between  thirty  and  forty 
years  ago  :  but  that  nothing  of  the  kind  had  been 
known  the  till  some  time  in  September  last. 

A  boy  was  then  taken  ill,  and  so  continue-  still.  In 
the  end  of  January  or  beginning  of  February,  many 
other   children    were   taken,   chiefly  girls,   and   a  few 


248      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

grown  persons.  They  begin  with  an  involuntary- 
shaking  of  their  hands  and  feet.  Then  their  lips  are 
convulsed  :  next  their  tongue,  which  seems  to  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  their  mouth  :  then  the  eyes  are  staring 
terribly,  and  the  whole  face  variously  distorted : 
presently  they  start  up,  and  jump  ten,  fifteen,  or 
twenty  times  together  straight  upwards,  two,  three, 
or  more  feet  from  the  ground.  Then  they  start 
forward  and  run  with  amazing  swiftness,  two,  three 
or  five  hundred  yards.  Frequently  they  run  up  like 
a  cat  to  the  top  of  a  house,  and  jump  on  the  ridge  of 
it,  as  on  the  ground  :  but  wherever  they  are,  they 
never  fall  or  miss  their  footing  at  all.  After  they 
have  run  and  jumped  for  some  time,  they  drop  down 
as  dead.  When  they  come  to  themselves,  they  usually 
tell  when  and  where  they  shall  be  taken  again : 
frequently,  how  often  and  where  they  shall  jump, 
and  to  what  places  they  shall  run." 

I  asked,  "  Are  any  of  them  near  ? "  He  said,  "  Yes, 
at  those  nouses."  We  walked  thither  without  delay. 
One  of  them  was  four  years  and  a  half  old,  the  other 
about  eighteen.  The  child,  we  found,  had  had  three 
or  four  fits  that  day,  running  and  jumping  like  the 
rest,  and  in  particular  leaping  many  times  from  a 
high  table  to  the  ground  without  the  least  hurt.  The 
young  woman  was  the  only  person  of  them  all,  who 
used  to  keep  her  senses  during  the  fit.  In  answer  to 
many  questions,  she  said,  "I  first  feel  a  pain  in  my 
left  foot,  then  in  my  head  :  then  my  hands  and  feet 
shake,  and  I  cannot  speak  :  and  quickly  I  begin  to 
jump  or  run."  While  we  were  talking,  she  cried  out, 
"  O  !  I  have  a  pain  in  my  foot  :  it  is  in  my  hand  :  it 
is  here  at  the  bending  of  my  arm.  0  !  my  head,  my 
head,  my  head."  Immediately  her  arms  were  stretched 
out,  and  were  as  an  iron  bar  :  I  could  not  bend  one 
of  her  fingers  :  and  her  body  was  bent  backward  : 
the  lower  part  remaining  quite  erect,  while  her  back 
formed  exactly  half  a  circle,  her  head  swinging 
even  with  her  hips.  I  was  going  to  catch  her,  but 
one  said,  "  Sir  you  may  let  her  alone,  for  they  never 
fall."     But  I  defy  all   mankind  to   account  for  her 


-i 


APPENDIX.  249 

not  falling,  when  the  trunk  of  her  body  hung  in  that 
manner. 

In  many  circumstances  this  case  goes  far  beyond  the 
famous  one  mentioned  by  Boerhaave,  particularly  in 
that — their  telling  before,  when  and  how  they  should 
be  taken  again.  Whoever  can  account  for  this  on 
natural  principles,  has  my  free  leave  :  I  cannot.  I 
therefore  believe,  if  this  be  in  part  a  natural  distem- 
per, there  is  something  preternatural  too.  Yet  sup- 
posing this,  I  can  easily  conceive,  Satan  will  so  disguise 
his  part  therein,  that  we  cannot  precisely  determine 
which  part  of  the  disorder  is  natural,  and  which  pre- 
ternatural. 

-I  rode  to  Aberdeen  ;  and  preached  in  the 
evening  in  the  College  Hall,  and  at  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing, Sunday,  the  3rd.  At  four  in  the  afternoon,  I 
preached  to  a  crowded  audience  in  the  College  Kirk, 
at  Old  Aberdeen.  At  seven  I  preached  in  the  College- 
Close,  at  New  Aberdeen  :  but  the  congregation  was 
so  exceeding  large  that  many  were  not  able  to  hear  : 
however,  many  did  hear,  and  I  think  feel,  the  applica- 
tion of  "  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God." 

We  want  nothing  here  but  a  larger  house  :  and  the 
foundation  of  one  is  laid  already.  It  is  true  we  have 
little  money,  and  the  Society  is  poor  :  but  we  know  in 
whom  we  have  believed. 

Tkw.,  7. — I  rode  over  to  Sir  Archibald  Grant's, 
twelve  computed  miles  from  Aberdeen.  It  is  surpris- 
ing to  see  how  the  country  between  is  improved,  even 
within  these  three  years.  On  every  side  the  wild, 
dreary  moors  are  ploughed  op,  and  covered  with  rising 
corn.  All  the  ground  near  Sir  Archibald's  in  par- 
ticula  well    cultivated    as    most   in    England. 

About   Beven   I  preached  :   the  Kirk  was  pretty  well 
filled,  though  upon  short  notice.     Certainly  this  is  a 
nation  "swift  to  hear,  and  slow  to  speak,"  though  not 
w  to  wrath." 

Mr  Grant,  a  gentleman  from  the  county  of  Murray, 
came  in  Boon  after  as  :    and  understanding  we  were 
a    north,  desired   we  would   call   at   the   Grange 
d   in  our  wav. 


250      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN   SCOTLAND. 

Fri.,  8. — In  the  morning  I  rode  to  Old-Meldrum, 
and  preached  in  the  Market-place  at  noon,  to  a  large 
and  serious  congregation,  among  whom  were  the 
Minister  and  his  wife  :  but  I  was  more  surprised  to 
see  a  company  of  our  friends  from  Aberdeen,  several 
of  whom  had  come  on  foot,  twelve  old  Scotch  miles, 
and  intended  to  walk  back  thither  the  same  day.  In 
the  afternoon  we  rode  on  to  Banff.  I  had  designed  to 
preach,  but  the  stormy  weather  would  not  permit. 
We  set  out  early  on  Saturday  morning,  and  reached 
Nairn  in  the  evening. 

Sun.,  10. — About  eight  we  reached  Inverness.  I 
could  not  preach  abroad,  because  of  the  rain,  nor  could 
I  hear  of  any  convenient  room,  so  that  I  was  afraid 
my  coming  hither  would  be  in  vain,  all  ways  seeming 
to  be  blocked  up.  At  ten  I  went  to  the  Kirk.  After 
service  Mr  Fraser,  one  of  the  Ministers,  invited  us  to 
dinner,  and  then  to  drink  tea.  As  we  were  drinking 
tea,  he  asked,  "  At  what  hour  I  would  please  to  preach." 
I  said,  "At  half  an  hour  past  five."  The  high  kirk 
was  filled  in  a  very  short  time  :  and  I  have  seldom 
found  greater  liberty  of  spirit.  The  other  Minister 
came  afterwards  to  our  inn,  and  showed  the  most 
cordial  affection.  Were  it  only  for  this  day,  I  should 
not  have  regretted  the  riding  a  hundred  miles. 

Mon.,  11. — A  gentleman,  who  lives  three  miles 
from  the  town,  invited  me  to  his  house,  assuring  me, 
the  Minister  of  his  parish  would  be  glad  if  I  would 
make  use  of  his  kirk  ;  but  time  would  not  permit  as  I 
had  appointed  to  be  at  Aberdeen  on  Wednesday.  All 
I  could  do  was  to  preach  once  more  at  Inverness.  I 
think  the  church  was  fuller  now  than  before  :  and  I 
could  not  but  observe  the  remarkable  behaviour  of 
the  whole  congregation  after  service.  Neither  man, 
woman,  nor  child  spake  one  word  all  the  way  down  the 
main  street :  indeed  the  seriousness  of  the  people  is 
the  less  surprising,  when  it  is  considered  that  for  at 
least  a  hundred  years  this  town  has  had  such  a  succes- 
sion of  pious  ministers  as  very  few  in  Great  Britain 
have  known. 

After  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  and  Aberdeen,  I  think 


APPENDIX.  251 

Inverness  is  the  largest  town  I  have  seen  in  Scotland. 
The  main  streets  are  broad  and  straight,  the  houses 
mostly  old,  but  not  very  bad  nor  very  good.  It  stands 
in  a  pleasant  and  fruitful  country,  and  has  all  things 
needful  for  life  and  godliness.  The  people,  in  general, 
speak  remarkably  good  English,  and  are  of  a  friendly, 
courteous  behaviour. 

About  eleven  we  took  horse.  While  we  were  dining 
at  Nairn,  the  innkeeper  said,  "  Sir,  the  gentlemen  of 
the  town  have  read  the  little  book  you  gave  me  on 
Saturday,  and  would  be  glad  if  you  would  please  to 
give  them  a  sermon."  Upon  my  consenting,  the  bell 
was  immediately  rung,  and  the  congregation  was 
quickly  in  the  kirk.  0  what  a  difference  is  there 
between  South  and  North  Britain  !  Every  one  here 
at  least  loves  to  hear  the  word  of  God  :  and  none  takes 
it  into  his  head  to  speak  one  uncivil  word  to  any,  for 
endeavouring  to  save  their  souls. 

Doubting  whether  Mr  Grant  was  come  home,  Mr 

Kershaw  called   at    the    Grange   Green,  near  Forres, 

while  I  rode  forward  :  but  Mr  Grant  soon  called  me 

back.     I  have   seldom  seen  a  more  agreeable  place. 

The  house  is  an  old  castle,  which  stands  on  a  little 

hill,  with  a  delightful   prospect  all  four  ways  :    and 

the  hospitable  master  left  nothing  undone  to  make  it 

still  more  agreeable.      He  showed  us  all  his  improve- 

-.  which  are  very  considerable,  in  every  branch  of 

husbandry.     In  his  gardens  many  things  were  more 

forward  than  at  Aberdeen,  yea,  or  Newcastle.     And 

how  is  it  that  none  but  one  Highland  gentleman  has 

rered  that  we  have  a  tree  in  Britain,  as  easily 

1  a<  an  ash,  the  wood  of  which  is  of  full  as  tine  a 

is   mahogany,  namely,  the   Laburnum?     I  defy 

any    mahogany    to   exceed   the   chairs  which    he   has 

lately  made  of  this. 

77/"/-.,  12. — We  rode  through  the  pleasant  and  fertile 
county  of  Murray  to  Elgin.  I  never  suspected  before 
that  there  was  any  such  country  as  this  near  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  beyond  Edinburgh;  a  county 
which  is  supposed  to  !.  illj  su  weeks  more 

sunshine  in  a  year  than  any  part  of  Great  Britain. 


252      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

At  Elgin  are  the  ruins  of  a  noble  cathedral,  the 
largest  that  I  remember  to  have  seen  in  the  kingdom. 
We  rode  thence  to  the  Spey,  the  most  rapid  river, 
next  the  Ehine,  that  I  ever  saw.  Though  the  water 
was  not  breast  high  to  our  horses,  they  could  very 
hardly  keep  their  feet.  We  dined  at  Keith,  and  rode 
on  to  Strathbogie,  much  improved  by  the  linen  manu- 
facture. All  the  country  from  Fochabers  to  Strath- 
bogie has  little  houses  scattered  up  and  down  :  and 
not  only  the  valleys  but  the  mountains  themselves  are 
improved  with  the  utmost  care  ;  there  want  only  more 
trees  to  make  them  more  pleasant  than  most  of  the 
mountains  in  England.  The  whole  family  at  our  inn, 
eleven  or  twelve  in  number,  gladly  joined  with  us  in 
prayer  at  night :  indeed  so  they  did  at  every  inn 
where  we  lodged  :  for  among  all  the  sins  they  have 
imported  from  the  English,  the  Scots  have  not  yet 
learned,  at  least  not  the  common  people,  to  scoff  at 
sacred  things. 

Wed.,  IS. — We  reached  Aberdeen  about  one.  Be- 
tween six  and  seven,  both  this  evening  and  the  next, 
I  preached  in  the  shell  of  the  new  house,  and  found  it 
a  time  of  much  consolation. 

Fri.,  15. — We  set  out  early,  and  came  to  Dundee 
just  as  the  boat  was  going  off.  We  designed  to  lodge 
at  the  house  on  the  other  side,  but  could  not  get  meat, 
drink,  or  good  words  ;  so  we  were  constrained  to  ride 
on  to  Cupar.  After  travelling  near  ninety  miles,  I 
found  no  weariness  at  all  ;  neither  were  our  horses 
hurt.     Thou,  O  Lord,  dost  save  both  man  and  beast ! 

Sat.,  16. — We  had  a  ready  passage  at  Kinghorn,  and 
in  the  evening  I  preached  on  the  Calton  Hill,  to  a  very 
large  congregation  ;  but  a  still  larger  assembled  at 
seven  on  Sunday  morning,  in  the  High  Schoolyard. 
Being  afterwards  informed  that  the  Lord's  Supper  was 
to  be  administered  in  the  West  Kirk,  I  knew  not 
what  to  do,  but  at  length  I  judged  it  best  to  embrace 
the  opportunity,  though  I  did  not  admire  the  manner 
of  administration.  After  the  usual  morning  service, 
the  Minister  enumerated  several  sorts  of  sinners, 
whom  he  forbade  to  approach.     Two  long  tables  were 


APPENDIX.  253 

set  on  the  sides  of  one  aisle,  covered  with  tablecloths. 
On  each  side  of  them  a  bench  was  placed  for  the 
people.  Each  table  held  four-  or  five-and-thirty. 
Three  Ministers  Bat  at  the  top,  behind  a  cross-table  ; 
one  of  whom  made  a  long  exhortation,  closed  with  the 
words  of  our  Lord  ;  and  then  breaking  the  bread,  gave 
it  to  him  who  sat  on  each  side  him.  A  piece  of  bread 
was  then  given  to  him  who  sat  first  on  each  of  the 
four  benches.  He  broke  off  a  little  piece,  and  gave  the 
bread  to  the  next  ;  so  it  went  on,  the  Deacons1  giving 
more  when  wanted.  A  cup  was  then  given  to  the 
first  person  on  each  bench,  and  so  by  one  to  another. 
The  Minister  continued  his  exhortation  all  the  time 
they  were  receiving.  Then  four  verses  of  the  twenty- 
second  Psalm  were  sung,  while  new  persons  sat  down 
at  the  tables.  A  second  Minister  then  prayed,  con- 
secrated, and  exhorted.  I  was  informed  the  service 
usually  lasted  till  five  in  the  evening.  How  much 
more  simple,  as  well  as  more  solemn,  is  the  service  of 
the  Church  of  England  ? 

The  evening  congregation  on  the  hill  was  far  the 
largest  I  have  seen  in  the  kingdom,  and  the  most 
deeply  affected  ;  many  were  in  tears,  more  seemed 
cut  to  the  heart.  Surely  this  time  will  not  soon  be 
forgotten.  Will  it  not  appear  in  the  annals  of 
eternity  1 

J/on.,  18. — I  set  out  early,  and  reached  Wooler  about 
four  in  the  afternoon.2 


Eighth  Visit,  1765. 

[April  2765]. — I  preached  at  Dunbar  about 
noon,  and  in  the  evening  at  Edinburgh.  My  coming 
was  quite  seasonable  (though  unexpected),  as  those 
bad  letters,  published  in  the  name  of  Mr  Hervey, 
and  reprinted  here  by  Mr  John  Erskine,  had  made 
a  great  deal  of  noi<*-. 

1  EMer*  !  -  Diary,  vol.  iii.  pp.  171-177. 


254      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD    IN    SCOTLAND. 

Wed.,  2Jf. — I  preached,  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  on 
the  ground  where  we  had  laid  the  foundation  of  our 
house. 

Fri.,  26. — About  noon  I  preached  at  Musselborough, 
where  are  a  few  living  souls  still.  In  the  evening  we 
had  another  blessed  opportunity  at  Edinburgh,  and  I 
took  a  solemn  leave  of  the  people.  Yet  how  I  should  be 
able  to  ride  I  knew  not.  At  Newcastle  I  had  observed 
a  small  swelling  less  than  a  pea ;  but  in  six  days  it  was 
as  large  as  a  pullet's  egg  and  exceeding  hard.  On 
Thursday  it  broke.  I  feared  riding  would  not  agree 
with  this,  especially  a  hard  trotting  horse.  However, 
trusting  God,  I  set  out  early  on  Saturday  morning  ; 
before  I  reached  Glasgow  it  was  much  decreased,  and 
in  two  or  three  days  more  it  was  quite  gone.  If  it 
was  a  boil,  it  was  such  an  one  as  I  never  heard  of ;  for 
it  was  never  sore  first  to  last,  nor  ever  gave  me  any 
pain. 

This  evening  I  preached  in  the  hall  of  the  hospital ; 
the  next  day,  morning  and  afternoon,  in  the  yard.  So 
much  of  the  form  of  religion  is  here  still  as  is  scarce  to 
be  found  in  any  town  in  England.  There  was  once 
the  power  too.  And  shall  it  not  be  again?  Surely  the 
time  is  at  hand. 

Mon.,  29. — I  rode  with  James  Kershaw,  through  a 
fruitful  country  to  Kilmarnock  and  thence  to  Ayr. 
After  a  short  bait  at  Maybole  in  the  afternoon,  we 
went  on  to  Girvane,  a  little  town  on  the  sea-shore. 

Tues.,  30. — We  rode  over  high  and  steep  mountains, 
between  Ballintrae  and  Strangrawer,  where  we  met 
with  as  good  entertainment  of  every  kind  as  if  we  had 
been  in  the  heart  of  England. 

We  reached  Portpatrick  about  three  o'clock,  and 
were  immediately  surrounded  with  men  offering  to 
carry  us  over  the  water  ;  but  the  wind  was  full  in  our 
teeth.  I  determined  to  wait  till  morning,  and  then  go 
forward  or  backward,  as  God  should  please. 

Wed.,  May  1. — The  wind  was  quite  fair,  so  as  soon 
as  the  tide  served,  I  went  on  board.  It  seemed 
strange  to  cross  the  sea  in  an  open  boat,  especially 
when  the  waves  ran  high.     I  was  a  little  sick,  till  I 


APPENDIX.  255 

fell  asleep.  In  live  hours  and  a  half  we  reached 
Donaghadee,  but  my  mare  could  Dot  land  till  live 
hours  after;  bo  that  I  did  not  reach  Newtown  till 
past  eight.1 

Nixtii  Visit,  1766. 

Fri.,  28  [May  1766\ — I  had  designed  to  preach 
abroad  at  Dunbar  in  the  evening  ;  but  the  rain  drove 
us  into  the  house.  It  was  for  good.  I  now  had  a  full 
stroke  at  their  hearts,  and  I  think  some  felt  them- 
Belves  sinners. 

Sat.,  24.  —  In  the  afternoon,  notice  having  been 
given  a  week  before,  I  went  to  the  room  at  Preston- 
Pans.  And  I  had  it  all  to  myself  ;  neither  man, 
woman,  nor  child,  offered  to  look  me  in  the  face.  So 
I  ordered  a  chair  to  be  placed  in  the  street.  Then 
forty  oi-  fifty  crept  together  ;  but  they  were  mere 
stocks  and  stones,  no  more  concerned  than  if  I  had 
talked  Greek.  In  the  evening  I  preached  in  the  new 
room,  at  Edinburgh,  a  large  and  commodious  building. 

Mon.f  26. — I  spent  some  hours  at  the  meeting  of  the 
National  Assembly.  I  am  very  far  from  being  of  Mr 
Whitefield's  mind,  who  greatly  commends  the  solem- 
nity of  this  meeting.  I  have  seen  few  less  solemn  ;  I 
was  extremely  shocked  at  the  behaviour  of  many  of 
the  members.  Had  any  Preacher  behaved  so  at  our 
Conference,  he  would  have  had  no  more  place  among 
us. 

Wed.,  28.  I  preached  at  Leith,  and  spoke  exceeding 
plain.     A  few  received  the  truth  in  the  love  thereof. 

§  <.,  June  1. — Many  of  the  Ministers  were  present 
•  '-n,  with  a  large  and  serious  congregation.  In 
the  afternoon  I  heard  a  thundering  sermon  in  the  new- 
kirk,  occasioned  by  Mr  Jardin,  a  Minister,  dropping 
down  dead  in  the  Assembly  a  day  or  two  before.  I 
preached  in  the  evening,  on,  "The  Spirit  and  the 
Bride  say,  Come!  A  tew,  1  trust,  closed  with  the 
invitation. 

1  Diary,  vol.  iii.  pp.  201.  2  12. 


256      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Mon.,  2. — I  came  to  Dundee,  weir  enough.  But  it 
cleared  up  in  the  evening,  so  that  I  preached  abroad  to 
a  large  congregation,  many  of  whom  attended  in  the 
morning. 

Tues.,  3. — The  congregation  was  still  larger  in  the 
evening,  but  on  Wednesday  the  rain  kept  us  in  the 
house. 

Thur.,  5. — It  being  fair,  we  had  a  more  numerous 
congregation  than  ever  ;  to  whom,  after  preaching,  I 
took  occasion  to  repeat  most  of  the  plausible  objec- 
tions which  had  been  made  to  us  in  Scotland.  I 
then  showed  our  reasons  for  the  things  which  had 
been  objected  to  us,  and  all  seemed  to  be  thoroughly 
satisfied. 

The  sum  of  what  I  spoke  was  this  : — 

I  love  plain  dealing.  Do  not  you  1  I  will  use  it 
now.     Bear  with  me. 

I  hang  out  no  false  colours,  but  show  you  all  I  am, 
all  I  intend,  all  I  do. 

I  am  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England  ;  but  I 
love  good  men  of  every  Church. 

My  ground  is  the  Bible.  Yea,  I  am  a  Bible-bigot. 
I  follow  it  in  all  things,  both  great  and  small. 

Therefore,  1.  I  always  use  a  short,  private  prayer, 
when  I  attend  the  public  service  of  God.  Do  not 
you?  Why  do  you  not?  Is  not  this  according  to 
the  Bible? 

2.  I  stand  whenever  I  sing  the  praise  of  God  in 
public.  Does  not  the  Bible  give  you  plain  precedents 
for  this  ? 

3.  I  always  kneel  before  the  Lord  my  Maker,  when 
I  pray  in  public. 

4.  I  generally  in  public  use  the  Lord's  Prayer,  because 
Christ  has  taught  me  when  I  pray  to  say 

I  advise  every  Preacher  connected  with  me,  whether 
in  England  or  Scotland,  herein  to  tread  in  my  steps. 

Fri.,  6. — We  went  on  to  Aberdeen,  about  seventy 
measured  miles.  The  congregation  in  the  evening- 
was  larger  than  the  usual  one  at  Edinburgh.  And 
the  number  of  those  who  attended  in  the  morning 
showed  they  were  not  all  curious  hearers. 


APPENDIX.  257 

Sun.,  S. — Knowing  no  reason  why  we  should  make 
God's  day  the  shortest  of  the  seven,  I  desired  Joseph 
Thomson  to  preach  at  live.  At  eight  I  preached  my- 
self. In  the  afternoon  I  heard  a  strong,  close  sermon, 
at  Old  Aberdeen;  and  afterward  preached  in  the 
College  -  Kirk,  to  a  very  genteel,  and  yet  serious 
congregation.  I  then  opened  and  enforced  the 
way  of  holiness,  at  New  Aberdeen,  on  a  numerous 
congregation. 

Men.)  9.  I  kept  a  watch-night,  and  explained  to 
abundance  of  genteel  people,  "One  thing  is  needful  ;  " 
a  great  number  of  whom  would  not  go  away,  till 
after  the  noon  of  night. 

T  .n-.,  10. — I  rode  over  to  Sir  Archibald  Giant's. 
The  church  was  pretty  well  filled,  and  I  spoke  exceed- 
ing plain  :  yet  the  hearers  did  not  appear  to  be  any 
more  affected  than  the  stone  walls. 

Wed.,  11. — I  returned  to  Aberdeen,  where  many  of 
the  people  were  much  alive  to  God.  With  these  our 
labour  has  not  been  in  vain  ;  and  they  are  worth  all 
the  pains  we  have  taken  in  Scotland. 

Fri.,  11. — We  reached  Brechin  a  little  before  twelve. 
Quickly  after,  I  began  preaching  in  the  flesh-market, 
on  the  "•one  thing  needful."  It  being  the  fair-day, 
the  town  was  full  of  strangers,  and  perhaps  some  of 
them  were  found  of  Him  they  sought  not.  I  preached, 
in  the  evening,  at  Dundee,  with  greater  liberty  than 
before. 

.  I.). — It  rained  from  the  moment  we  set  out 
till  (about  one)  we  came  to  Kinghorn.  Finding  the 
brat  was  not  to  move  till  four  o'clock,  I  purposed  to 
hire  a  pinnace  ;  bat  the  wind  springing  up  fair,  I 
went  into  the  large  boat.  Quickly  it  fell  calm  again, 
at  we  did  not  get  over  till  past  seven. 

>'<//'..  15. — Oar  i '">in  was  very  warm  in  the  after- 
noon, through  the  multitude  of  people,  a  great  number 
<.f  whom  were  people  of  fashion,  with  many  Ministers, 
ike  to  them  with  the  utmost  plainness,  and  I 
believe  not  in  vain  ;  for  we  had  bucb  a  congregation 
at  fire  in  tie-  morning,  as  I  never  saw  at  Edinburgh 
before.      1'    is  scarce   possible  to  speak   too  plain  in 

R 


258      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN   SCOTLAND. 

England ;  but  it  is  scarce  possible  to  speak  plain 
enough  in  Scotland.  And  if  you  do  not,  you  lose 
all  your  labour,  you  plough  upon  the  sand. 

Mon.,  16. — I  took  a  view  of  one  of  the  greatest 
natural  curiosities  in  the  kingdom  ;  what  is  called 
Arthur's  Seat,  a  small  rocky  eminence,  six  or  seven 
yards  across,  on  the  top  of  an  exceeding  high  moun- 
tain, not  far  from  Edinburgh.  The  prospect  from 
the  top  of  the  castle  is  large,  but  it  is  nothing  in 
comparison  of  this.  In  the  evening  we  had  another 
Sunday's  congregation,  who  seemed  more  affected  than 
the  day  before. 

Tues.,  17. — It  rained  much,  yet  abundance  of  people 
came,  and  again  God  made  bare  His  arm.  I  can 
now  leave  Edinburgh  with  comfort,  for  I  have  fully 
delivered  my  own  soul. 

Wed.,  18. — I  set  out  for  Glasgow.  In  the  afternoon 
the  rain  poured  down,  so  that  we  were  glad  to  take 
shelter  in  a  little  house,  where  I  soon  began  to  talk 
with  our  host's  daughter,  eighteen  or  nineteen  years 
old  ;  but,  to  my  surprise,  I  found  her  as  ignorant  of 
the  nature  of  religion  as  a  Hottentot.  And  many 
such  I  have  found  in  Scotland  ;  able  to  read,  nay, 
and  repeat  the  Catechism,  but  wholly  unacquainted 
with  all  true  religion,  yea,  and  all  genuine  morality. 
This  evening  we  were  in  the  house  ;  but  the  next 
I  preached  abroad,  to  many  more  than  the  house 
could  contain.  On  Friday  the  number  was  greatly 
increased  ;  but  much  more  on  Saturday.  I  then 
enlarged  upon  communion  with  God,  as  the  only  real, 
scriptural  religion.  And  I  believe  many  felt,  that 
with  all  their  orthodoxy,  they  had  no  religion  still. 

What  a  difference  there  is  between  the  society  here 
and  that  at  Dundee  !  There  are  about  sixty  members 
there,  and  scarce  more  than  six  scriptural  believers  ; 
here  are  seventy  -  four  members,  and  near  thirty 
among  them  lively,  zealous  believers  :  one  of  whom 
was  justified  thirty  years  ago,  and  another  of  them 
two  -  and  -  forty ;  and  several  of  them  had  been  for 
many  years  rejoicing  in  God  their  Saviour. 

Sun.,  22. — At  seven  I  was  obliged  to  preach  abroad, 


APPENDIX.  259 

and  the  word  sunk  dec})  into  the  hearers.  I  almost 
wondered  at  myself  for  speaking  so  plain,  and  won- 
dered  how  they  could  bear  it.  It  is  the  Lord's  doing  ! 
In  the  afternoon  Mr  Gillies  was  unusually  close  and 
convincing.  At  tive  I  preached  on,  lkO  that  thou  hadst 
known,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  that  make 
for  thy  peace.'"  I  almost  despaired  of  making  the 
whole  congregation  hear  ;  but  by  their  behaviour  it 
seemed  they  did.  In  the  close  I  enlarged  upon  their 
prejudices,  and  explained  myself  with  regard  to  most 
of  them.  Shame,  concern,  and  a  mixture  of  various 
as  were  painted  on  most  faces.  And  I  perceived 
the  Scots,  if  you  touch  but  the  right  key,  receive  as 
lively  impressions  as  the  English. 

Man..  2S. — We  rode  in  a  mild,  cool  day  to  Thorny- 
Hill,  about  sixty  measured  miles  from  Glasgow. 
Here  I  met  with  Mr  Knox's  '  History  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland'  ;  and  could  any  man  wonder,  if  the 
members  of  it  were  more  fierce,  sour,  and  bitter  of 
spirit  than  some  of  them  are  ?  for  what  a  pattern  have 
they  before  them  !  I  know  it  is  commonly  said,  "  The 
work  to  be  done  needed  such  a  spirit.''  Not  so  :  the 
work  of  God  does  not,  cannot  need  the  work  of  the 
devil  to  forward  it.  And  a  calm  even  spirit  goes 
through  rough  work  far  better  than  a  furious  one. 
Although,  therefore,  God  did  use,  at  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  some  sour,  overbearing,  passionate  men, 
yet  He  did  not  use  them  because  they  were  such,  but 
notwithstanding  they  were  so  :  and  there  is  no  doubt 
He  would  have  used  them  much  more,  had  they  been 
of  a  humbler  and  milder  spirit. 

-'.,  24. — Before  eight  we  reached  Dumfries,  and 
after  a  short  bait  we  pushed  on,  in  hopes  of  reaching 
Solway  Frith  before  the  Bea  was  come  in.     Designing 

wl  at  an  inn  by  the  Frith  side,  we  inquired  the 
way.  and  were  directed  to  Leave  tin-  main  road,  and  go 

Jit  to  the  house,  which  we  saw  before  u&  In  ten 
minutes  Duncan  Wright  was  embogged.  However, 
the  horse  plunged  on.  and  '_r''t  through.  I  was  in- 
clined to  turn  back  :  but  Duncan  telling  me  I  needed 
only  j^o  a  little  to  the  left,  1  did  BO,  and  sunk  at  once 


260      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD    IN    SCOTLAND. 

to  my  horse's  shoulders.  He  sprung  up  twice,  and 
twice  sunk  again,  each  time  deeper  than  before.  At 
the  third  plunge  he  threw  me  on  one  side,  and  we 
both  made  shift  to  scramble  out.  I  was  covered  with 
fine,  soft  mud,  from  my  feet  to  the  crown  of  my  head ; 
yet,  blessed  be  God,  not  hurt  at  all.  But  we  could  not 
cross  till  between  seven  and  eight  o'clock.  An  honest 
man  crossed  with  us,  who  went  two  miles  out  of  his 
way  to  guide  us  over  the  sands  to  Skilborneze,  where 
we  found  a  little  clean  house,  and  passed  a  comfortable 
night.1 

Tenth  Visit,  1767. 

Wed.,  29  {July  1767]. —  ...  It  was  so  late  when 
we  landed  (from  Donaghadee),  after  a  passage  of  five 
hours,  that  we  could  only  reach  Stranrawer  that  night. 

Thur.,  30. — We  rode  through  a  country  swiftly 
improving  to  Ayr,  and  passed  a  quiet  and  comfortable 
night. 

Fri.,  31. — Before  two  we  reached  Glasgow.  In  the 
evening  I  preached  and  again  at  five  in  the  morning. 

Saturday,  August  the  1st. — As  both  my  horse  and 
myself  were  a  little  tired,  I  took  the  stage-coach  to 
Edinburgh. 

Before  I  left  Glasgow  I  heard  so  strange  an  account, 
that  I  desired  to  hear  it  from  the  person  himself.  He 
was  a  sexton,  and  yet  for  many  years  had  little 
troubled  himself  about  religion.  I  set  down  his 
words,  and  leave  every  man  to  form  his  own  judg- 
ment upon  them  :  "  Sixteen  weeks  ago,  I  was  walking 
an  hour  before  sunset  behind  the  high  Kirk,  and 
looking  on  one  side  I  saw  one  close  to  me,  who  looked 
me  in  my  face,  and  asked  me  how  I  did  1  I  answered, 
'  Pretty  well.'  He  said,  '  You  have  had  many  troubles. 
But  how  have  you  improved  them  1 '  He  then  told  me 
all  that  ever  I  did,  and  the  thoughts  that  had  been  in 
my  heart,  adding,  '  Be  ready  for  my  second  coming '  : 

1  Journal,  vol.  ii.  pp.  243-247. 


APPENDIX.  261 

ami  he  was  gone  I  knew  not  how.  I  trembled  all 
over,  and  had  no  strength  in  me,  but  sunk  down  to 
the  ground.  From  that  time  I  groaned  continually 
under  the  Load  of  sin,  till  at  the  Lord's  Supper  it  was 
all  taken  aw;iv." 

Sun.,  2. — I  was  sorry  to  find  both  the  society  and  the 
congregations  smaller  than  when  I  was  here  last.  I 
impute  this  chiefly  to  the  manner  of  preaching  which 
has  been  generally  used.  The  people  have  been  told 
frequently  and  strongly  of  their  coldness,  deadness, 
heaviness,  and  littleness  of  faith,  but  very  rarely  of 
anything  that  would  move  thankfulness.  Hereby 
many  were  driven  away,  and  those  that  remained 
•  kept  cold  and  dead. 

I  encouraged  them  strongly  at  eight  in  the  morning, 
and  abont  noon  preached  upon  the  Castle -Hill  on, 
"  There  is  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  re- 
penteth."  The  sun  shone  exceeding  hot  upon  my 
head,  but  all  was  well ;  for  God  was  in  the  midst  of 
it.  In  the  evening,  I  preached  on  Luke  xx.  34,  &c, 
and  many  were  comforted  ;  especially  while  I  was 
enlarging  on  those  deep  words,  "  Neither  can  they  die 
any  more,  but  are  equal  to  the  angels,  and  are  the 
children  of  God,  being  the  children  of  the  resur- 
rection." 

Mon.jS.-1  visited  as  many  as  I  could,  sick  and 
well,  and  endeavoured  to  confirm  them.  In  the 
evening  I  pleached  at  seven,  and  again  at  nine  :  we 
concluded  about  twelve.  One  then  came  to  me  with 
an  unexpected  message.  A  gentleman  in  Scotland 
was  a  serious,  sensible  man,  but  violently  attached 
b<-th  to  the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  the  Kirk.  His 
eldest  daughter  dreamed  some  months  since,  that  she 
was  poisoned,  and  must  die  in  an  hour.  She  waked 
in  the  utmost  consternation,  which  issued  in  a  deep 
conviction  of  >in.  Soon  after  she  had  an  earnest 
desire  to  see  me,  though  uot  perceiving  any  possibility 

of  it.     But  business  railing  Mr  B to  Edinburgh, 

he  brought  her  with  him  three  days  before  I  came. 
On  Sunday  morning  he  heard  the  preaching  for  the 
first  time,  and  afterwards  omitted   no  opportunity. 


262      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD    IN   SCOTLAND. 

He  now  sent  his  daughter  to  beg  I  would  come,  if 
possible,  to  the  west,  and  to  desire  that  I,  or  any  of 
our  Preachers,  would  make  his  house  our  home. 

Tues.,  4- — I  rode  to  Dunbar,  and  endeavoured,  if 
possible,  to  rouse  some  of  the  sleepers,  by  strongly, 
yea,  roughly  enforcing  those  words,  "  Lord,  are  there 
few  that  be  saved?"  And  this  I  must  say  for  the 
Scots  in  general,  I  know  no  men  like  them  for  bearing 
plain  dealing.     On  Thursday  I  reached  Newcastle.1 


Eleventh  Visit,  1768. 

Mon.,  18  [April  1 768].  —  Taking  horse  at  four,  I 
reached  Solway  Frith  before  eight,  and  finding  a 
guide  ready,  crossed  without  delay,  dined  at  Dumfries, 
and  then  went  on  to  Drumlanrig. 

Tues.,  19. — I  rode  through  heavy  rain  to  Glasgow. 
On  Thursday  and  Friday  I  spoke  to  most  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  society.  I  doubt  we  have  few  societies  in 
Scotland  like  this  :  the  greater  part  of  those  I  saw, 
not  only  have  found  peace  with  God,  but  continue  to 
walk  in  the  light  of  His  countenance.     Indeed  that 

wise  and  good  man,  Mr  G ,  has  been  of  great 

service  to  them  ;  encouraging  them,  by  all  possible 
means,  to  abide  in  the  grace  of  God. 

Sat.,  23. — I  rode  over  the  mountains  to  Perth.  I 
had  received  magnificent  accounts  of  the  work  of  God 
in  this  place  ;  so  that  I  expected  to  find  a  numerous 
and  lively  society.  Instead  of  this  I  found  not  above 
two  believers,  and  scarce  five  awakened  persons  in  it. 
Finding  I  had  all  to  begin,  I  spoke  exceeding  plain  in 
the  evening,  to  about  a  hundred  persons,  at  the 
Room  ;  but,  knowing  this  was  doing  nothing,  on  Sun- 
day, the  24th,  I  preached  about  noon,  at  the  end  of 
Watergate.  A  multitude  of  people  were  soon  as- 
sembled, to  whom  I  cried  aloud,  "  Seek  ye  the  Lord, 
while  He  may  be  found  :  call  upon  Him  while  He  is 

1  Journal,  vol.  iii.  pp.  284-286. 


APPENDIX. 

near."  All  were  deeply  attentive,  and  I  had  a  little 
hope  that  some  were  profited. 

At  the  Old  Kirk  we  had  useful  sermons,  both  in  the 
morning,  and  at  five  in  the  afternoon.  Immediately 
after  I    preached    on    "  God    forbid    that    I 

should  in   the  cross    of   onr    Lord   Jesus 

Christ."  The  congregation  was  so  exceeding  large, 
that  I  doubt  many  could  not  hear.  After  preaching, 
T  explained  the  nature  of  a  Methodist  society  ;  adding, 
that  I  should  not  look  on  any  persons  in  Perth  as  such, 
unless  they  spoke  to  me  before  I  left  the  city.  Four 
men  and  four  women  did  speak  to  me,  two  of  whom 
I  think  were  believers  :  and  one  or  two  more  seemed 
just  awakening,  and  darkly  feeling  after  God.  In 
truth,  the  Kingdom  of  God,  among  these,  is  as  yet  but 
as  a  grain  of  mustard-seed. 

J/"/-.,  85. — Mr  Fr ,  Minister  of  a  neighbouring 

parish,  desired  us  to  breakfast  with  him.  I  found 
him  a  serious,  benev<  dent,  sensible  man,  not  bigoted 
to  any  opinions.  I  did  not  reach  Brechin  till  it  was 
too  late  to  preach. 

. — I  came  to  Aberdeen.  Here  I  found  a 
society  truly  alive,  knit  together  in  peace  and  love. 
The  congregations  were  large  both  morning  and  even- 
ing, and,  as  usual,  deeply  attentive.  But  a  company 
of  strolling  players,  who  have  at  length  found  place 
here  also,  stole  away  the  gay  part  of  the  hearers. 
Scotland  !  poor  Aberdeen  !  this  only  was  want- 
ing to  make  them  as  completely  irreligious  as  England. 

Fr<\.  99. — I  read  over  an  extremely  sensible  book, 
but  <>ne  that  surprif  inch.     It  is  'An  Inquiry 

into  the  Proofs  of  the  Charges  commonly  advanced 
against  Mary  Queen  of  Scotland.'  By  means  of 
original  papers,  he  has  made  it  more  clear  than  one 
would  imagine  it  possible  at  this  distance  —  1.  That 
she  v.  gether  innocent  of  the  murder  of  Lord 

Darnley.  and  no  way  privy  to  it  :    2.  That  she  married 
Lord  Bothwell  (then  near  seventy  years  old.  1 
but   fonr-and-twenty)  from    the    pressing   instance  of 
the  nobility  in  a  body,  who  at  the  same  tii  ! 

-   murder  :    3.   That 


264      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Murray,  Morton,  and  Lethington  themselves,  con- 
trived that  murder,  in  order  to  charge  it  upon  her, 
as  well  as  forged  those  vile  letters  and  sonnets,  which 
they  palmed  upon  the  world  for  hers. 

"But  how  then  can  we  account  for  the  quite  con- 
trary story,  which  has  been  almost  universally  re- 
ceived 1 "  Most  easily  ;  it  was  penned  and  published 
in  French,  English,  and  Latin  (by  Queen  Elizabeth's 
order)  by  George  Buchanan,  who  was  Secretary  to 
Lord  Murray,  and  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  pay.  So  he 
was  sure  to  throw  dirt  enough  :  nor  was  she  at  liberty 
to  answer  for  herself.  But  what  then  was  Queen 
Elizabeth  1  as  just  and  merciful  as  Nero,  and  as  good 
a  Christian  as  Mahomet. 

Sun.,  May  the  1st. — I  preached  at  seven  in  the  New 
Room  ;  in  the  afternoon  at  the  College-Kirk  in  Old 
Aberdeen.  At  six,  knowing  our  house  could  not  con- 
tain the  congregation,  I  preached  in  the  Castle-Gate  on 
the  paved  stones.  A  large  number  of  people  were  all 
attention  ;  but  there  were  many  rude,  stupid  creatures 
round  about  them,  who  knew  as  little  of  reason  as  of 
religion.  I  never  saw  such  brutes  in  Scotland  before. 
One  of  them  threw  a  potato,  which  fell  on  my  arm. 
I  turned  to  them  and  some  were  ashamed. 

Mon.>  2. — I  set  out  early  from  Aberdeen,  and  about 
noon  preached  in  Brechin.  After  sermon,  the  Provost 
desired  to  see  me,  and  said,  "  Sir,  my  son  had  epileptic 
fits  from  his  infancy.  Dr  Ogylvie  prescribed  for  him 
many  times,  and  at  length  told  me  he  could  do  no 
more.  I  desired  Mr  Blair  last  Monday  to  speak  to 
you.  On  Tuesday  morning  my  son  said  to  his  mother, 
he  had  just  been  dreaming  that  his  fits  were  gone,  and 
he  was  perfectly  well.  Soon  after  I  gave  him  the 
drops  you  advised.  He  is  perfectly  well,  and  has  not 
had  one  fit  since."  In  the  evening  I  preached  to  a 
large  congregation  at  Dundee.  They  heard  atten- 
tively, but  seemed  to  feel  nothing.  The  next  evening 
I  spoke  more  strongly,  and  to  their  hearts,  rather 
than  their  understanding  ;  and  I  believe  a  few  felt 
the  word  of  God  sharp  as  a  two-edged  sword. 

Thur.y  5. — We  rode  through  the  pleasant  and  fruit- 


_ 


APPENDIX.  265 

ful  Carse  of  Gowry,  a  plain  lifteen  or  sixteen  miles 
Long,  between  the  river  Tay  and  the  mountains,  very 
thick  inhabited,  to  Perth.  In  the  afternoon  we  walked 
over  to  the  royal  palace  at  Scone.  It  La  a  large  old 
house,  delightfully  situated,  but  swiftly  running  to 
ruin.  Yet  there  [are]  a  few  good  pictures,  and  some 
tine  tapestry  left,  in  what  they  call  the  Queen's  and  the 
King's  chambers.  And  what  is  far  more  curious,  there 
is  a  bed  and  a  set  of  hangings,  in  the  once-royal  apart- 
ment, which  was  wrought  by  poor  Queen  Mary,  while 
she  was  imprisoned  in  the  castle  at  Lochlevin.  It  is 
sonic  of  the  finest  needle- work  I  ever  saw,  and  plainly 
shows  both  her  exquisite  taste  and  unwearied  industry. 

Saturday,  May  the  14th,  1768. — I  walked  once  more 
through  Holyrood-House,  a  noble  pile  of  building  ; 
but  the  greatest  part  of  it  left  to  itself,  and  so  (like 
the  palace  at  Scone)  swiftly  running  to  ruin.  The 
tapestry  is  dirty  and  quite  faded;  the  fine  ceilings 
dropping  down,  and  many  of  the  pictures  in  the 
gallery  torn  or  cut  through.  This  was  the  work  of 
good  General  Hawley's  soldiers  (like  General,  like 
men  !)  who,  after  running  away  from  the  Scots  at 
Falkirk,  revenged  themselves  on  the  harmless  canvas  ! 

..  15. — At  eight  I  preached  in  the  High-School 
yard  ;  and  I  believe  not  a  few  of  the  hearers  were  cut 
to  the  li^art.  i it- 1 ween  twelve  and  one  a  far  larger 
congregation  assembled  on  the  Castle  -  Hill  ;    and  I 

e  my  voice  ©  mmanded  them  all,  while  I  opened 
and  enforced  those  awful  words,  "I  saw  the  dead, 
small  and  great,  stand  before  God."  In  the  evening 
our  house  was  sufficiently  crowded,  even  with  the 
rich  and  honourable.  "Who  hath  warned  these  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come?'"'  O  may  they  at  Length 
"awake,  and  arise  from  the  dead  !  " 

M  ,'..   16. — I   preached  in  the  evening  at   Dunbar, 

the  shore,  to  an  unusually  large  congregation. 
. — I  looked  over  Dr  Shaw-  Travels  :  g 
part  of   them  is  very  dull  and  onentertaining  ;    but 

remarks  are  extremely  curious.  I  was  a  little 
surprised  at  one  of  them  ;  namely,  that  the  celebrated 


266      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

Mount  Atlas  is  not  higher  than  many  of  our  English 
mountains,  and  nothing  near  so  high  as  the  Alps. 
But  it  was  much  farther  from  Kome.  So  travellers 
might  make  it  as  high  as  the  moon,  and  few  in 
England  could  contradict  them. 

Wed.,  IS. — I  came  to  poor  dead  Berwick.  However, 
I  found  a  few  living  souls  even  here.  At  seven,  I 
preached  in  the  Townhall  to  an  exceeding  serious, 
though  not  numerous,  congregation.  The  next  even- 
ing I  preached  in  the  Market-place  at  Alnwick.1 


Twelfth  Visit,  1770. 

April,  15  [1770].—  .  .  .  Afterwards  we  took  horse, 
and  before  eight  reached  an  admirable  inn  at 
Dumfries. 

Mon.  16. — We  had  a  fair  morning  till  we  began  to 
climb  up  Enterkine,  one  of  the  highest  mountains  in 
the  west  of  Scotland.  We  then  got  into  a  Scotch 
mist,  and  were  dropping  wet,  before  we  came  to  the 
Lead  Hills.  In  the  evening  we  reached  Lesmahagow, 
and  Glasgow  on  Tuesday,  where  I  spent  two  days 
with  much  satisfaction.  I  had  designed  to  go  straight 
from  hence  to  Perth  ;  but  being  desired  to  take  Edin- 
burgh in  my  way,  I  rode  thither  on  Friday,  and  en- 
deavoured to  confirm  those  whom  many  had  strove 
to  turn  out  of  the  way.  What  pity  is  it  that  the 
children  of  God  should  so  zealously  do  the  Devil's 
work  !  How  is  it  that  they  are  still  ignorant  of 
Satan's  devices  ?     Lord,  what  is  man  1 

Sat.  21. — Pushing  through  violent  wind  and  rain, 
we  came  to  Perth  in  the  afternoon.  This  evening  the 
Tolbooth  contained  the  congregation,  and  at  eight  in 
the  morning.  The  stormy  wind  would  not  suffer  me 
to  preach  abroad  in  the  evening ;  so  we  retired  into 
the  Court-house,  as  many  as  could,  and  had  a  solemn 
and  comfortable  hour. 

Mon.,  23.— I  walked  over  to  Scone,  and  took  another 

1  Journal,  vol.  ii.  pp.  307-315. 


APPENDIX.  2G7 

view  of  that  palace  of  ancient  men  of  renown,  long 

since  mouldered  into  common  dust  The  buildings 
too  are  now  decaying  apace.  So  passes  the  dream  of 
human  great n-  - 

Kj  &4- — I  spent  a  few  agreeable  hours  with  Dr 

O ,    an    upright,    friendly,    sensible    man.       Such, 

likewise,  I  found  Mr  Black,  the  senior  Minister  at 
Perth,  who  soon  after  went  to  Abraham's  bosom. 

II"'  -/.,  25. — Taking  horse  at  five,  we  rode  to  Dunkeld, 
the  tirst  considerable  town  in  the  Highlands.  We 
agreeably  surprised  :  a  pleasanter  situation  can- 
not be  easily  imagined.  Afterwards  we  went  some 
miles  on  a  smooth,  delightful  road,  hanging  over  the 
river  Tay,  and  then  went  on,  winding  through  the 
mountains,  to  the  Castle  at  Blair.  The  mountains,  for 
the  next  twenty  miles,  were  much  higher  and  covered 
with  snow.  In  the  evening  we  came  to  Dalwhinny, 
the  dearest  inn  I  have  met  with  in  North  Britain. 
In  the  morning  we  were  informed  so  much  snow  had 
fallen  in  the  night,  that  we  could  get  no  farther.  And 
indeed  three  young  women,  attempting  to  cross  the 
mountain  to  Blair,  were  swallowed  up  in  the  snow. 
However,  we  resolved,  with  God's  help,  to  go  as  far  as 
we  could.  But  about  noon  we  were  at  a  full  stop  ; 
the  snow,  driving  together  on  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
had  quite  blocked  up  the  road.  We  dismounted,  and 
striking  out  of  the  road  warily,  sometimes  to  the  left, 
with  many  stumbles,  but  no  hurt,  we  got  on  to  Dalma- 
garry,  and  before  sunset,  to  Invei  d 

LJamio  and  William  Chappel,  who  had  been  here 
three  months,  were  waiting  for  a  vessel  to  return  to 
London.  They  had  met  a  few  people  every  night,  to 
Bing  and  pray  together  ;  and  their  behaviour,  suitable 
►n,  had  removed  much  prejudice. 
.—I  breakfasted  with  the  senior  Minister, 
MrM'Kenzie,  a  pious  and  friendly  man.  At  six  in 
the  evening  1  began  preaching  in  the  church,  and  with 
very  uncommon  liberty  of  spirit.  At  seven  in  the 
morn  in  lt  1  preached  in  the  library,  a  large  commodious 
room  :    but   it  would  not  contain    the  Ration  : 

many  were  constrained  to  go  away.     Afterwards    i 


268      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

rode  over  to  Fort  George,  a  very  regular  fortification, 
capable  of  containing  four  thousand  men.  As  I  was 
just  taking  horse,  the  commanding  officer  sent  word, 
"I  was  welcome  to  preach."  But  it  was  a  little  too 
late  ;  I  had  then  but  just  time  to  ride  back  to 
Inverness. 

Sun.,  29. — At  seven,  the  benches  being  removed,  the 
library  contained  us  tolerably  well  ;  and  I  am  per- 
suaded God  shook  the  hearts  of  many  outside  Christ- 
ians. I  preached  in  the  church  at  five  in  the  afternoon. 
Mr  Helton  designed  to  preach  abroad  at  seven,  but 
the  Minister  desired  he  would  preach  in  the  church, 
which  he  did,  to  a  large  and  attentive  congregation. 
Many  followed  us  from  the  church  to  our  lodgings, 
with  whom  I  spent  some  time  in  prayer,  and  then 
advised  them,  as  many  as  could,  to  meet  together,  and 
spend  an  hour  every  evening  in  prayer  and  useful 
conversation. 

Mon.,  30. — We  set  out  in  a  fine  morning.  A  little 
before  we  reached  Nairn,  we  were  met  by  a  messenger 
from  the  Minister,  Mr  Dunbar,  who  desired  I  would 
breakfast  with  him,  and  give  them  a  sermon  in  his 
church.  Afterwards  we  hastened  to  Elgin,  through  a 
pleasant  and  well- cultivated  country.  When  we  set 
out  from  hence,  the  rain  began,  and  poured  down  till 
we  came  to  the  Spey,  the  most  impetuous  river  I  ever 
saw.  Finding  the  large  boat  was  in  no  haste  to  move, 
I  stepped  into  a  small  one  just  going  off.  It  whirled 
us  over  the  stream  almost  in  a  minute.  I  waited  at 
the  inn  at  Fochabers  (dark  and  dirty  enough  in  all 
reason)  till  our  friends  overtook  me  with  the  horses. 
The  outside  of  the  inn  at  Keith  was  of  the  same  hue, 
and  promised  no  great  things  ;  but  we  were  agreeably 
disappointed.  We  found  plenty  of  everything,  and  so 
dried  ourselves  at  leisure. 

Tuesday,  May  the  1st. — I  rode  on  to  Aberdeen,  and 
spent  the  rest  of  the  week  there.  It  fell  out  well,  for 
the  weather  was  uncommon,  we  had  storms  of  snow  or 
rain  every  day ;  and  it  seems  the  weather  was  the  same 
as  far  as  London.  So  general  a  storm  has  scarce  been 
in  the  memory  of  man. 


APPENDIX,  269 

S  .,  6. — I  preached  in  the  College  -  Kirk  at  Old 
Aberdeen,  to  a  very  serious  (though  mostly  genteel) 
congregation.  In  the  evening  I  preached  at  our  own 
room,  and  early  in  the  morning  took  my  leave  of  this 
loving  people.  We  came  to  Montrose  about  noon.  I 
had  designed  to  preach  there,  but  found  no  notice  had 
been  given.  However,  I  went  down  to  the  Green,  and 
sung  a  hymn.  People  presently  flocked  from  all  parts  ; 
and  God  gave  me  great  freedom  of  speech,  so  that  I 
hope  we  did  not  meet  in  vain. 

At  seven  in  the  evening  I  preached  at  Arbroath 
(properly  Aberbrothwick).  The  whole  town  seems 
moved  ;  the  congregation  was  the  largest  I  have  seen 
since  we  left  Inverness  ;  and  the  society,  though  but  of 
nine  months'  standing,  is  the  largest  in  the  kingdom, 
next  to  that  of  Aberdeen. 

Tues.,  8. — I  took  a  view  of  the  small  remains  of  the 
Abbey.  I  know  nothing  like  it  in  all  North  Britain. 
I  paced  it,  and  found  it  a  hundred  yards  long  ;  the 
breadth  is  proportionable.  Part  of  the  west  end, 
which  is  still  standing,  shows  it  was  full  as  high  as 
Westminster  Abbey.  The  south  end  of  the  cross  aisle 
likewise  is  standing,  near  the  top  of  which  is  a  large 
circular  window.  The  zealous  Reformers,  they  told 
us,  burnt  this  down:  God  deliver  us  from  reforming 
mobs  ; 

I  have  seen  no  town  in  Scotland  which  increases  so 
East,  or  which  is  built  with  so  much  common  sense  as 
this.  Two  entire  new  streets,  and  part  of  a  third, 
have  been  built  within  these  two  years.  They  run 
parallel  with  each  other,  and  have  a  row  of  gardens 
between  them  ;  so  that  every  house  has  a  garden  ; 
and  thus  both  health  and  convenience  are  consulted. 
W  A.  '■'.—{  rode  on  to  Dundee.  The  Ministers 
particularly  Mr  Small,  are  bitter  enough:  not- 
withstanding which,  the  society  is  well  established, 
and  the  congregations  exceeding  large.  I  dealt  very 
plainly  with  them  at  six,  and  still  more  so  the 
evening,  yet   none  appeared  to  be  offended. 

/>/.,  11. — I  went  forward  to  Edinburgh. 

.   12. — I    received   but  a  melancholy  account  of 


270      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN    SCOTLAND. 

the  state  of  things  here.  The  congregations  were 
nearly  as  usual  ;  but  the  society,  which,  when  I  was 
here  before,  consisted  of  above  one  hundred  and  sixty 
members,  was  now  shrunk  to  about  fifty.  Such  is  the 
fruit  of  a  single  Preacher's  staying  a  whole  year  in 
one  place  !  together  with  the  labours  of  good  Mr 
Townshend. 

Sun.,  13. — At  seven  I  preached  in  the  chapel  taken 
by  Lady  Glenorchy,  which  stands  at  a  great  distance 
from  ours,  in  the  most  honourable  part  of  the  city. 
Between  twelve  and  one  I  preached  in  the  High- 
School  yard,  it  being  too  stormy  to  preach  on  the 
Castle-Hill.  A  little  before  six  I  preached  in  our 
chapel,  crowded  above  and  below  ;  but,  I  doubt,  with 
little  effect ;  exceeding  few  seemed  to  feel  what  they 
heard. 

Mon.,  14. — After  ten  years'  inquiry,  I  have  learned 
what  are  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  Some  told  me, 
"  The  Highlands  begin  when  you  cross  the  Tay  ; " 
others,  "  when  you  cross  the  North  Esk  ; "  and  others, 
"when  you  cross  the  river  Spey."  But  all  of  them 
missed  the  mark  ;  for  the  truth  of  the  matter  is,  the 
Highlands  are  bounded  by  no  river  at  all,  but  by 
Cairns,  or  heaps  of  stones  laid  in  a  row,  south-west  and 
north-east,  from  sea  to  sea.  These  formerly  divided 
the  kingdom  of  the  Picts  from  that  of  the  Caledonians, 
which  included  all  the  country  north  of  the  Cairns, 
several  whereof  are  still  remaining.  It  takes  in 
Argyleshire,  most  of  Perthshire,  Murrayshire,  with 
all  the  north-west  counties.  This  is  called  the  High- 
lands, because  a  considerable  part  of  it  (though  not 
the  whole)  is  mountainous.  But  it  is  not  more  moun- 
tainous than  North  Wales,  nor  than  many  parts  of 
England  and  Ireland  ;  nor  do  I  believe  it  has  any 
mountain  higher  than  Snowdon  Hill  or  the  Skiddaw 
in  Cumberland.  Talking  Erse,  therefore,  is  not  the 
thing  that  distinguishes  these  from  the  Lowlands. 
Neither  is  this  or  that  river,  both  the  Tay,  the  Esk, 
and  the  Spey,  running  through  the  Highlands,  not 
south  of  them. 

Thiers.,  17. — At  five  in  the  morning  I  took  a  solemn 


APPENDIX.  _7I 

leave  of  our  friends  at  Edinburgh,  About  eighi  I 
preached  at  Musselburgh,  and  found  some  hope,  there 
will  be  a  blessing  in  the  remnant.  In  the  evening  I 
preached  in  the  new  house  at  Dunbar,  the  eheerfullest 

in  the  kingdom. 

Fri..  IS. — We  rode  over  to  the  Earl  of  Haddington's 
seat,  finely  situated  between  two  woods.  The  house 
eeding  large  and  pleasant,  commanding  a  wide 
prospect  both  ways  ;  and  the  Earl  is  cutting  walks 
through  the  woods,  smoothing  the  ground,  and  much 
enlarging  and  beautifying  his  garden.  Yet  he  is  to 
die  ;  In  the  evening,  I  trust  God  broke  through  some 
of  the  stony  hearts  of  Dunbar.  A  little  increase  here 
is  in  the  society  likewise  :  and  all  the  members  walk 
unblamably.1 


Thirteenth  Visit,  1772. 


«.,  llf  [April  i,V.yj. — Afterwards  [at  Carlisle] 
inquiring  for  the  Glasgow  road,  I  found  it  was  not 
much  round  to  go  by  Edinburgh.  So  I  chose  that 
n  >ad.  and  went  five  mile3  forward  this  evening  to  our 
friends1  houses.  Here  we  had  a  hearty  welcome  sub 
[<>,■>■  parvulo,  with  sweet  and  quiet  rest. 

Wed.,  15. — Though  it  was  a  lone  house,  we  had  a 
large  congregation  at  live  in  the  morning.  Afterwards 
we  lode,  for  upwards  of  twenty  miles,  through  a  most 
delightful  country,  the  fruitful  mountains  rising  on 
either  hand,  and  the  clear  stream  running  beneath. 
In  the  afternoon  we  had  a  furious  storm  of  rain  and 
snow  :    however   we    reached    Selkirk    safe.      Here    I 

ved  a  little  piece  of  stateliness  which  was  quite 
new  t<.  me.  The  maid  came  in  and  said,  "  Sir.  the 
lord  of  the  stable  waits  to  know  if  he  should  feed 
your;  all  him  ostler  in  England.     After 

supper,  all  the  family  seemed  glad  to  join  with  us  in 

r. 

1  Journal,  vol.  iii.  pp.  384-388. 


272      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Tkur.,  16.— We  went  on  through  the  mountains, 
covered  with  snow,  to  Edinburgh. 

April  17. — Being  Good-Friday,  I  went  to  the  Epis- 
copal Chapel,  and  was  agreeably  surprised  :  not  only 
the  prayers  were  read  well,  seriously  and  distinctly, 
but  the  sermon,  upon  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  was 
sound  and  unexceptionable.  Above  all,  the  behaviour 
of  the  whole  congregation,  rich  and  poor,  was  solemn 
and  serious. 

Sat.,  18. — I  set  out  for  Glasgow.  One  would  rather 
have  imagined  it  was  the  middle  of  January,  than  the 
middle  of  April.  The  snow  covered  the  mountains  on 
either  hand,  and  the  frost  was  exceeding  sharp  ;  so  I 
preached  within,  both  this  evening  and  on  Sunday 
morning.  But  in  the  evening  the  multitude  con- 
strained me  to  stand  in  the  street.  My  text  was, 
"What  God  hath  cleansed,  that  call  not  thou  com- 
mon." Here  I  took  occasion  to  fall  upon  their  miser- 
able bigotry  for  opinions  and  modes  of  worship.  Many 
seemed  to  be  not  a  little  convinced  ;  but  how  long  will 
the  impression  continue  1 

Mon.,  20. — I  went  on  to  Greenock,  a  sea-port  town, 
twenty  miles  west  of  Glasgow.  It  is  built  very  much 
like  Plymouth  Dock,  and  has  a  safe  and  spacious  har- 
bour. The  trade  and  inhabitants,  and  consequently  the 
houses,  are  increasing  swiftly  ;  and  so  is  cursing,  swear- 
ing, drunkenness,  and  all  manner  of  wickedness.  Our 
room  is  about  thrice  as  large  as  that  at  Glasgow,  but  it 
would  not  near  contain  the  congregation.  I  spoke  ex- 
ceeding plain,  and  not  without  hope  that  we  may  see 
some  fruit,  even  among  this  hard-hearted  generation. 

Tues.,  21. — The  house  was  very  full  in  the  morning. 
And  they  showed  an  excellent  spirit ;  for  after  I  had 
spoke  a  few  words  on  the  head,  every  one  stood  up 
at  the  singing.  In  the  afternoon,  I  preached  at  Port- 
Glasgow,  a  large  town,  two  miles  east  of  Greenock. 
Many  gay  people  were  there,  careless  enough,  but 
the  greater  part  seemed  to  hear  with  understanding. 
In  the  evening  I  preached  at  Greenock  :  and  God 
gave  them  a  loud  call,  whether  they  will  hear,  or 
whether  they  will  forbear. 


APPENDIX.  273 


Wed.,  8& — About  eight,  I  preached  once  more  in 
the  Masons'  Lodge  at  Port-Glasgow.  The  house  was 
crowded  greatly  :  and  I  suppose  all  the  gentry  of  the 
town  were  a  part  of  the  congregation.  Resolving  not 
to  shoot  over  their  heads,  as  I  had  done  the  day  before, 
I  spoke  strongly  of  death  and  judgment,  heaven  and 
hell.  And  there  was  no  more  laughing  among  them, 
or  talking  with  each  other,  but  all  were  quietly  and 
deeply  attentive. 

In  the  evening,  when  I  began  at  Glasgow,  the  con- 
gregation being  but  small,  I  chose  a  subject  fit  for  ex- 
perienced Christians  ;  but  soon  after,  a  heap  of  fine 
gay  people  came  in.  Yet  I  could  not  decently  break 
off  what  I  was  about,  though  they  gaped  and  stared 
abundantly.  I  could  only  give  a  short  exhortation 
in  the  close,  more  suited  to  their  capacity. 

Thursday,  23d,  was  the  fast  before  the  Lord's  Supper. 
It  was  kept  as  a  Sunday  ;  no  shops  open  or  business 
done.  Three  Ministers  came  to  assist  Mr  Gillies,  with 
whom  I  had  much  conversation.  They  all  seemed  to 
be  pious  as  well  as  sensible  men.  As  it  rained  in  the 
evening,  I  preached  in  the  Grammar  School,  a  large, 
commodious  room.  I  know  not  that  ever  I  spoke 
more  plain,  nor  perhaps  with  more  effect. 

Fri.,  2.'f. — We  had  a  large  congregation  at  five,  and 
many  of  the  rich  and  gay  among  them.  I  was  aware 
of  them  now,  and  they  seemed  to  comprehend  per- 
fectly well,  what  it  is.  to  be  "ashamed  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ."  I  set  out  at  seven  ;  in  the  evening  I 
lied  at  Edinburgh,  on,  "My  son,  give  me  thy 
heart,"  and  after  preaching  in  the  morning,  on  Satur- 
day. 25th,  Bet  out  for  the  North. 

I  reached  Perth  in  the  evening,  and  sent  to  the 
Prov..st  to  desire  the  use  of  the  Guildhall  ;  in  which 
I  preached,  Sunday,  26th,  in  the  morning,  and  (it 
being  very  cold)  in  the  evening.  Afterwards  I  ac- 
cepted of  the  Provost's  invitation,  to  lodge  at  his 
:  and  -pent  an  agreeable  evening  with  him  and 
three  Mir  deluded  with  solemn  prayer. 

Mon..  97. — 1  spent  three  or  four  hours  in  conversation 
with  Lh  Oswald  and  Mr  Eraser,  two  as  pious  and 
s 


274      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

sensible  Ministers  as  any  I  know  in  Scotland.  From 
Methven  we  went  on  to  Dunkeld,  once  the  capital  of 
the  Caledonian  kingdom  ;  now  a  small  town,  standing 
on  the  bank  of  the  Tay,  and  at  the  foot  of  several 
rough,  high  mountains.  The  air  was  sharp  ;  yet  the 
multitude  of  people  constrained  me  to  preach  abroad  ; 
and  I  trust  not  in  vain  ;  for  great  was  the  power  of 
God  in  the  midst  of  them. 

Tues.,  28.— We  walked  through  the  Duke  of  Athol's 
gardens,  in  which  was  one  thing  I  never  saw  before,  a 
summer-house  in  the  middle  of  a  green-house,  by  means 
of  which  one  might,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  enjoy  the 
warmth  of  May,  and  sit  surrounded  with  greens  and 
flowers  on  every  side. 

In  the  evening  I  preached  once  more  in  Perth,  to  a 
large  and  serious  congregation.  Afterwards  they  did 
me  an  honour  I  never  thought  of,  presented  me  with 
the  freedom  of  the  city.     The  diploma  ran  thus : — 

"  Magistratuum  illustris  ordo  et  honorandus  sena- 
torum  coetus   inclytae  civitatis  Perthensis,  in  debiti 

amoris  et  affectus  tesseram  erga  Johannem  W y, 

immunitatibus  praefatae  civitatis,  societatis  etiam  et 
fraternitatis  aedilitiae  privilegiis  donarunt. 

"  Aprilis  die  28°  anno  Sal.  1772°." 

I  question  whether  any  diploma  from  the  city  of  Lon- 
don be  more  pompous,  or  expressed  in  better  Latin. 

In  my  way  to  Perth,  I  read  over  the  first  volume  of 
Dr  Robertson's  '  History  of  Charles  V.'  I  know  not 
when  I  have  been  so  disappointed.  It  might  as  well 
be  called  the  History  of  Alexander  the  Great.  Here 
is  a  quarto  volume  of  eight  or  ten  shillings'  price, 
containing  dry,  verbose  dissertations  on  feudal  govern- 
ment !  The  substance  of  all  which  might  be  comprised 
in  half  a  sheet  of  paper.  But  Charles  the  Fifth  ;  where 
is  Charles  the  Fifth  ? 

"  Leave  off  thy  reflections  and  give  ns  thy  tale  ! " 

Wed.,  29. — I  went  on  to  Brechin,  and  preached  in  the 
Town-hall  to  a   congregation   of  all   sorts,   Seceders, 


APPENDIX.  270 

rites,  Nonjurors,  and  what  not!  O  what  excuse 
have  Ministers  in  Scotland  for  not  declaring  the  whole 
counsel  of  God,  where  the  bulk  of  the  people  not  only 
endure,  but  love  plain  dealing? 

Friday  and  Saturday. — I  rested  at  Aberdeen. 

6  day,  May  8. — I  went  in  the  morning  to  the 
English  Church.  Here,  likewise,  I  could  not  but 
admire  the  exemplary  decency  of  the  congregation. 
This  was  the  more  remarkable,  because  so  miserable  a 
reader  I  never  heard  before.  Listening  with  all  at- 
tention, I  understood  but  one  single  word,  Balak,  in 
the  First  Lesson  :  and  one  more,  begat,  was  all  I  could 
possibly  distinguish  in  the  Second.  Is  there  no  man 
of  spirit  belonging  to  this  congregation  ?  Why  is  such 
a  burlesque  upon  public  worship  suffered  1  Would  it 
not  be  far  better  to  pay  this  gentleman  for  doing 
nothing,  than  for  doing  mischief  ?  For  bringing  a 
scandal  upon  religion  ? 

About  three  I  preached  at  the  College  Kirk  in  the 
Old  Town,  to  a  large  congregation,  rich  and  poor  ;  at 
six,  in  our  own  house,  on  "  the  narrow  way."  I  spoke 
exceeding  plain,  both  this  evening  and  the  next ;  yet 
none  were  offended.  What  encouragement  has  every 
Preacher  in  this  country,  "  by  manifestation  of  the 
truth"  to  '"commend  himself  to  every  man's  conscience 
in  the  sight  of  God  .' " 

Tues.,  5. — I  read  over,  in  my  journey,  Dr  Beattie's 
ingenious  '  Enquiry  after  Truth.'"  He  is  a  writer  quite 
equal  to  his  subject,  and  far  above  the  match  of  all 
the  minute  philosophers,  David  Hume  in  particular, 
the  most  insolent  despiser  of  truth  and  virtue  that  ever 
appeared  in  the  world.  And  yet,  it  seems,  some  com- 
plain of  this  Doctor's  using  him  with  too  great  > 
ity  !  I  cannot  understand  how  that  can  be,  onle 
treated  him  with  rudeness    which  he  does  not), 

an  avowed  enemy  to  God  and  man,  and  to  all 
that  is  sacred  and  valuable  upon  earth. 

In  the   evening    1    preached   in  the   new-hone- 
Arbroath    (properly     Aberbrotheck).       In    this    town 
there  is  a  I!    It  was  wicked  to  a  pro- 

vable   for    Sabbath  -  breaking,    cuj 


276      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD   IN    SCOTLAND. 

swearing,  drunkenness,  and  a  general  contempt  of 
religion.  But  it  is  not  so  now  :  no  drunkenness  seen 
in  the  streets  :  and  many  have  not  only  ceased  from 
evil  and  learned  to  do  well,  but  are  witnesses  of  the 
inward  Kingdom  of  God,  "righteousness,  peace,  and 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Wed.,  6. — The  Magistrates  here  also  did  me  the 
honour  of  presenting  me  with  the  freedom  of  their 
corporation.  I  valued  it  as  a  token  of  their  respect, 
though  I  shall  hardly  make  any  further  use  of  it. 

Thur.,  7. — I  took  Thomas  Cherry  away  with  me  ; 
but  it  was  too  late.  He  will  hardly  recover.  Let  all 
observe,  (that  no  more  Preachers  may  murder  them- 
selves,) here  is  another  martyr  to  screaming  ! 

We  had  a  huge  congregation  in  the  evening  at 
Dundee,  it  being  the  fast-day,  before  the  Sacrament. 
Never  in  my  life  did  I  speak  more  plain  or  close  :  let 
God  apply  it  as  it  pleaseth  Him. 

Fri.,  8. — I  laboured  to  reconcile  those,  who  (accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  the  place)  were  vehemently  con- 
tending about  nothing. 

Sat.,  9. — I  went  to  Edinburgh. 

Sun.,  10. — I  attended  the  Church  of  England  service 
in  the  morning,  and  that  of  the  Kirk  in  the  afternoon. 
Truly  "  no  man  having  drunk  old  wine,  straightway 
desireth  new."  How  dull  and  dry  did  the  latter 
appear  to  me,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  the  former. 
In  the  evening  I  endeavoured  to  reach  the  hearts  of  a 
large  congregation,  by  applying  part  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount.  And  I  am  persuaded  God  applied  it  with 
power  to  many  consciences. 

Mon.,  11. — I  spoke  severally  to  the  members  of  the 
society  as  closely  as  I  could.  Out  of  ninety  (now 
united)  I  scarce  found  ten  of  the  original  society  ;  so 
indefatigable  have  the  good  Ministers  been  to  root  out 
the  seed  God  had  sown  in  their  hearts. 

Thur.,  12. — I  preached  at  Ormiston,  ten  miles  south 
of  Edinburgh,  to  a  large  and  deeply  serious  congrega- 
tion. I  dined  at  the  Ministers,  a  sensible  man,  who 
heartily  bid  us  God  speed.  But  he  soon  changed  his 
mind  :   Lord   H n  informed  him  that  he  had  re- 


APPENDIX.  2  7  7 

ceived  a  letter  from  Lady  H ,  assuring  him,  that 

we  were  ,k  dreadful  heretics,  to  whom  no  countenance 
should  be  given."  It  is  pity  !  Should  not  the  children 
of  God  leave  the  Devil  to  do  his  own  work  ? 

Wed.,  IS. — I  preached  at  Leith  in  the  most  horrid, 
dreary  room  I  have  seen  in  the  kingdom.  But  the 
next  day  I  found  another  kind  of  room,  airy,  cheerful 
and  lightsome,  which  Mr  Parker  undertook  to  fit  up 
for  the  purpose,  without  any  delay. 

S  .,  17. — I  had  appointed  to  preach  at  noon 
in  the  Lady's  Walk,  at  Leith  ;  but  being  offered 
the  use  of  the  Episcopal  chapel,  I  willingly  accepted 
it,  and  both  read  prayers  and  preached.  Here  also 
the  behaviour  of  our  congregation  did  honour  to 
our  Church. 

Mon.,  IS.  —  Dr  Hamilton  brought  with  him  Dr 
Moriro  and  Dr  Gregory.  They  satisfied  me  what  my 
disorder  was  ;  and  told  me  there  was  but  one  method 
of  cure.  Perhaps  but  one  natural  one  ;  but  I  think 
God  has  more  than  one  method  of  healing  either  the 
soul  or  the  body. 

In  the  evening  (the  weather  being  still  severe)  I 
preached  in  the  new  house  at  Leith,  to  a  lovely 
audience,  on,  "  Narrow  is  the  way  that  leadeth  unto 
life."  Many  were  present  again  at  five  in  the  morn- 
ing. How  long  have  we  toiled  here  almost  in  vain  ! 
Yet  I  cannot  but  hope,  God  will  at  length  have  a 
people  even  in  this  place. 

—I  took  my  leave  of  Edinburgh  in  the 
morning,  by  strongly  enforcing  the  Apostle's  exhorta- 
tion, u  Be  careful  for  nothing,  but  in  every  thing  make 
your  requests  known  unto  God  with  thanksgiving." 

1    had    designed    to    preach    (as    usual)    at    Provost 
Haddington,  in  the  way  to  Dunbar.     But 
the  Provost  too  had  received  light  from  the  "circular 
.:  and  durst   aot  receive  those  heretics.     So  we 
went  round  by  the  Marquis  of  Tweedale's  seat,  com- 
pletely finished  within  and  without.     But  he  that  took 
so  much  delight  in  it,  is  gone  to  his  long  home,  and 
has  left  if  to  one  who  has  no  taste  or  regard  for  it. 
ills  tin-  world  away  ! 


278      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD    IN   SCOTLAND. 

In  the  evening  I  preached  at  Dunbar. 

Thur.,  21. — I  went  to  the  Bass,  seven  miles  from  it, 
which  in  the  horrid  reign  of  Charles  the  Second,  was 
the  prison  of  those  venerable  men  who  suffered  all 
things  for  a  good  conscience.  It  is  a  high  rock,  sur- 
rounded by  the  sea,  two  or  three  miles  in  circum- 
ference, and  about  two  miles  from  the  shore.  The 
strong  east  winds  made  the  water  so  rough,  that  the 
boat  could  hardly  live.  And  when  we  came  to  the 
only  landing  place  (the  other  sides  being  quite  per- 
pendicular), it  was  with  much  difficulty  that  we  got 
up,  climbing  on  our  hands  and  knees.  The  castle,  as 
one  may  judge  from  what  remains,  was  utterly  inac- 
cessible. The  walls  of  the  chapel,  and  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's house,  are  tolerably  entire.  The  garden  walls 
are  still  seen  near  the  top  of  the  rock,  with  the  well  in 
the  midst  of  it ;  and  round  the  walls  there  are  spots 
of  grass  that  feed  eighteen  or  twenty  sheep.  But  the 
proper  natives  of  the  island  are  solan-geese,  a  bird 
about  the  size  of  a  Muscovy  duck,  which  breeds  by 
thousands,  from  generation  to  generation,  on  the  sides 
of  the  rock.  It  is  peculiar  to  these,  that  they  lay  but 
one  egg,  which  they  do  not  sit  upon  at  all,  but  keep  it 
under  one  foot  (as  we  saw  with  our  own  eyes)  till  it  is 
hatched.  How  many  prayers  did  the  holy  men  con- 
fined here  offer  up  in  that  holy  day  !  And  how  many 
thanksgivings  should  we  return,  for  all  the  liberty, 
civil  and  religious,  which  we  enjoy  ! 

At  our  return,  we  walked  over  the  ruins  of  Tantallon 
Castle,  once  the  seat  of  the  great  Earls  of  Douglas. 
The  front  walls  (it  was  four  square)  are  still  standing, 
and,  by  their  vast  height  and  huge  thickness,  give 
us  a  little  idea  of  what  it  once  was.  Such  is  human 
greatness  ! 

Fri.,  22. — We  took  a  view  of  the  famous  Roman 
camp,  lying  on  a  mountain,  two  or  three  miles  from 
the  town.  It  is  encompassed  with  two  broad  and  deep 
ditches,  and  is  not  easy  of  approach  on  any  side. 
Here  lay  General  Lesley  with  his  army,  while  Crom- 
well was  starving  below.  He  had  no  way  to  escape  ; 
but  the  enthusiastic  fury  of  the  Scots  delivered  him. 


APPENDIX.  2(9 

When  they  marched  into  the  valley  to  swallow  him  up, 
he  mowed  them  down  like  grass. 

v  .  28. — I  went  to  Alnwick,  and  preached  in  the 
Town-hall.  What  a  difference  between  an  English 
and  a  Scotch  congregation!  These  judge  themselves 
rather  than  the  Preacher,  and  their  aim  is,  not  only  to 
know,  but  to  love  and  obey.1 


Fourteenth  Visit,  1774. 

Mon.,  9  [May  177£l — I  set  out  for  Scotland.  At 
eight  I  preached  in  the  Castle-yard  at  Cockermouth, 
to  abundance  of  careless  people,  on,  "  Where  their 
worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."  In 
the  evening  I  preached  at  Carlisle.  On  Tuesday  I 
went  on  to  Selkirk,  and  on  Wednesday  to  Edinburgh, 
which  is  distant  from  Carlisle  ninety-five  miles,  and 
no  more. 

Thurs.,  12. — I  went  in  the  stage-coach  to  Glasgow  ; 
and  on  Friday  and  Saturday  preached  on  the  Old- 
Green,  to  a  people,  the  greatest  part  of  whom  hear 
much,  know  everything,  and  feel  nothing. 

n  .,  15. — My  spirit  was  moved  within  me  at  the 
sermons  I  heard,  both  morning  and  afternoon.  They 
contained  much  truth,  but  were  no  more  likely  to 
awaken  one  soul,  than  an  Italian  opera.  In  the  even- 
ing a  multitude  of  people  assembled  on  the  Green,  to 
whom  I  earnestly  applied  these  words,  "Though  I 
have  all  knowledge,  though  I  have  all  faith,  though  I 
give  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,"  &c,  "  and  have  not 
love,  I  am  nothing." 

Mon.,  16. — In  the  afternoon,  as  also  at  seven  in  the 
morning,  I  preached  in  the  kirk  at  Port-Glasgow.  My 
subjects  were  death  and  judgment,  and  I  spoke  as 
home  as  I  possibly  could.  The  evening  congregation 
at  Greenock  was  exceeding  large.  I  opened  and 
enforced  those  awful  words,  "  Strait  is  the  gate,  and 

1  Journal,  vol.  iii.  pp.  144-451. 


280      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

narrow  is  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  life."  I  know  not 
that  ever  I  spoke  more  strongly.  And  some  fruit  of 
it  quickly  appeared  ;  for  the  house,  twice  as  large 
as  that  at  Glasgow,  was  thoroughly  filled  at  five  in 
the  morning.  In  the  evening,  Tuesday,  the  17th,  I 
preached  on  the  Green  at  Glasgow  once  more,  al- 
though the  north  wind  was  piercing  cold.  At  five  in 
the  morning  I  commended  our  friends  to  God. 

How  is  it  that  there  is  no  increase  in  this  society  1 
It  is  exceeding  easy  to  answer.  One  Preacher  stays 
here  two  or  three  months  at  a  time,  preaching  on  Sun- 
day morning,  and  three  or  four  evenings  in  a  week. 
Can  a  Methodist  Preacher  preserve  bodily  health,  or 
spiritual  life,  with  this  exercise  ?  And  if  he  is  but 
half  alive,  what  will  the  people  be.  Just  so  it  is  at 
Greenock  too. 

Wed.,  18. — I  went  to  Edinburgh,  and  on  Thursday 
to  Perth.  Here  likewise  the  morning  preaching  had 
been  given  up  ;  consequently  the  people  were  few, 
dead,  and  cold.  These  things  must  be  remedied,  or 
we  must  quit  the  ground.  In  the  way  to  Perth,  I 
read  that  ingenious  tract,  Dr  Gregory's  '  Advice  to  his 
Daughters.'  Although  I  cannot  agree  with  him  in  all 
things  (particularly  as  to  dancing,  decent  pride,  and 
both  a  reserve  and  a  delicacy,  which  I  think  are  quite 
unnatural),  yet  I  allow  there  are  many  fine  strokes 
therein,  and  abundance  of  common-sense.  And  if  a 
young  woman  followed  this  plan  in  little  things,  in 
such  things  as  daily  occur,  and  in  great  things  copied 
after  Miranda,  she  would  form  an  accomplished 
character. 

Ffi.,  20. — I  rode  over  to  Mr  Fraser's  at  Moneydie, 
whose  mother-in-law  was  to  be  buried  that  day.  O 
what  a  difference  is  there  between  the  English  and  the 
Scotch  method  of  burial  !  The  English  does  honour  to 
human  nature  ;  and  even  to  the  poor  remains,  that 
were  once  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost !  But  when  I 
see  in  Scotland  a  coffin  put  into  the  earth,  and  covered 
up  without  a  word  spoken,  it  reminds  me  of  what  was 
spoken  concerning  Jehoiakim,  "  He  shall  be  buried 
with  the  burial  of  an  ass." 


APPENDIX.  281 

x  ..  21. — I  returned  to  Perth  and  preached  in  the 
evening  to  a  large  congregation  ;  but  I  could  not  find 
the  way  to  their  hearts.  The  generality  of  the  people 
here  are  ek  i  wist.-,  that  they  need  no  more  knowledge  ;  and 
so  good,  that  they  need  no  more  religion  !  Who  can 
warn  them  that  are  brim-full  of  wisdom  and  goodness 
to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  i 

.  :. — I  endeavoured  to  stir  up  this  drowsy 
people,  by  speaking  as  strongly  as  I  could,  at  five,  on, 
••Awake,  thou  that  sleepest ! :'  at  seven,  on,  "Where 
their  worm  dieth  not;"  and  in  the  evening,  on,  "I 
saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God." 
In  the  afternoon  a  young  gentleman  in  the  West  Kirk 
preached  such  a  close,  practical  sermon,  on,  "  Enoch 
walked  with  God,"  as  I  have  not  heard  since  I  came 
into  the  kingdom. 

Moru,  23. — About  ten,  I  preached  to  a  considerable 
number  of  plain,  serious,  country- people,  at  Rait,  a 
little  town  in  the  middle  of  that  lovely  valley,  called 
the  Carse  of  Gowry.  In  riding  on  to  Dundee,  I  was 
utterly  amazed  at  reading  and  considering  a  tract  put 
into  my  lianas,  which  gave  a  fuller  account  than  I 
had  ever  seen,  of  the  famous  Gowry  Conspiracy  in 
1600.  And  I  was  thoroughly  convinced  —  1.  From 
the  utter  improbability,  if  one  should  not  rather  say, 
absurdity,  of  the  Xing'"  s  account  (the  greater  part  of 
which  rests  entirely  on  his  own  single  word)  ;  2.  From 
the  many  contradictions  in  the  depositions  which  were 
made  to  confirm  some  parts  of  it;  and,  3.  From 
the  various  collateral  circumstances,  related  by  con- 
temporary irriters,  that  the  whole  was  a  piece  of 
king-craft,  the  clumsy  invention  of  a  covetous  and 
bloodthirsty  tyrant,  to  destroy  two  innocent  men, 
that  he  might  kill  and  also  take  possession  of  their 
large  fortu 

In    the    evening    1    preached    at    Dundee,   and    on 
lay,    the    24th.    went    on    to    Arbroath.       In    the 

way  I  read  Lord  K 'a  plausible  '  Essaj  -  on  Morality 

and  Natural  Religion.1  Did  ever  man  take  so  much 
pains  to  so  little  purpose,  as  he  does  in  his  '  Essay  on 
Liberty   and    Necessity         0\      bono?      What    good 


282      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

would  it  do  to  mankind,  if  he  could  convince  them, 
that  they  are  a  mere  piece  of  clock-work  1  that  they 
have  no  more  share  in  directing  their  own  actions, 
than  in  directing  the  sea  or  the  north  wind  ?  He 
owns  that  "  if  men  saw  themselves  in  this  light,  all 
sense  of  moral  obligation,  of  right  and  wrong,  of  good 
or  ill  desert,  would  immediately  cease."  Well,  my 
Lord  sees  himself  in  this  light ;  consequently  if  his 
own  doctrine  is  true,  he  has  "  no  sense  of  moral 
obligation,  of  right  and  wrong,  of  good  or  ill  desert." 
Is  he  not  then  excellently  well  qualified  for  a  Judge  ? 
Will  he  condemn  a  man  for  not  "  holding  the  wind  in 
his  fist "  ? 

The  high  and  piercing  wind  made  it  impracticable 
to  preach  abroad  in  the  evening.  But  the  house  con- 
tained the  people  tolerably  well,  as  plain  and  simple 
as  those  at  Eait.  I  set  out  early  in  the  morning  ; 
but  not  being  able  to  ford  the  North  Esk,  swollen 
with  the  late  rains,  was  obliged  to  go  round  some 
miles.     However  I  reached  Aberdeen,  in  the  evening. 

Here  I  met  with  another  curious  book,  '  Sketches 
of  the  History  of  Man.'  Undoubtedly,  the  author  is 
a  man  of  strong  understanding,  lively  imagination, 
and  considerable  learning ;  and  his  book  contains 
some  useful  truths.  Yet  some  things  in  it  gave  me 
pain  :  1.  His  affirming  things  that  are  not  true  ;  as 
that  all  negro  children  turn  black  the  ninth  or  tenth 
day  from  their  birth.  No  ;  most  of  them  turn  partly 
black  on  the  second  day,  entirely  so  on  the  third. 
That  all  the  Americans  are  a  copper  colour.  Not  so  ; 
some  of  them  are  as  fair  as  we  are.  Many  more  such 
assertions  I  observed,  which  I  impute  not  to  design, 
but  to  credulity.  2.  His  flatly  contradicting  himself  ; 
many  times  within  a  page  or  two.  3.  His  asserting, 
and  labouring  to  prove,  that  man  is  a  mere  piece  of 
clock-work  ;  and,  lastly,  his  losing  no  opportunity  of 
vilifying  the  Bible,  to  which  he  appears  to  bear  a 
most  cordial  hatred.  I  marvel,  if  any  but  his  brother 
infidels,  will  give  two  guineas  for  such  a  work  as  this  ! 

Sun.,  29. — At  seven  the  congregation  was  large.  In 
the  evening  the  people  were  ready  to  tread  upon  each 


APPENDIX.  283 

other.  I  scarce  ever  saw  people  so  squeezed  together. 
And  they  seemed  to  be  all  ear,  while  I  exhorted  them, 
with  strong  and  pointed  words,  not  to  "receive  the 
grace  of  God  in  vain." 

Mon.^  SO.  —  I  set  out  early  from  Aberdeen,  and 
pleached  at  Arbroath  in  the  evening.  I  know  no 
people  in  England  who  are  more  loving,  and  more 
simple  of  heart,  than  these. 

Tu.es.,  SI. — I  preached  at  Easthaven,  a  small  town 
inhabited  by  fishermen.  I  suppose  all  the  inhabitants 
were  present  ;  and  all  were  ready  to  devour  the  word. 
In  the  evening  I  preached  at  Dundee,  and  had  great 
hope  that  brotherly  love  would  continue. 

In  my  way  hither  I  read  Dr  Reid's  ingenious  Essay. 
With  the  former  part  of  it  I  was  greatly  delighted  ; 
but  afterwards  I  was  much  disappointed.  I  doubt 
whether  the  sentiments  are  just ;  but  I  am  sure  his 
language  is  so  obscure,  that  to  most  readers  it  must  be 
mere  Arabic.  But  I  have  a  greater  objection  than 
this  :  namely,  his  exquisite  want  of  judgment,  in  so 
admiring  that  prodigy  of  self-conceit,  Rousseau  ;  a 
shallow,  yet  supercilious  infidel,  two  degrees  below 
Voltaire  !  Is  it  possible,  that  a  man  who  admires 
him  can  admire  the  Bible? 

Wednesday,  June  1. — I  went  to  Edinburgh,  and  the 
next  day  examined  the  society  one  by  one.  I  was 
ably  surprised.  They  have  fairly  profited  since 
I  was  here  last.  Such  a  number  of  persons  having 
sound  Christian  experience  I  never  found  in  this 
society  before.  I  preached  in  the  evening  to  a  viy 
elegant  congregation,  and  yet  with  great  enlargement 
of  heart. 

Sat.,  4. — I  found  uncommon  liberty  at  Edinburgh, 
in  applying  Ezekiel's  vision  of  the  dry  bones.  As  I 
was  walking  home,  two  men  followed  me,  one  of  whom 
said,  "Sir.  you  are  my  prisoner.  I  have  a  warrant 
from  the  Sheriff  to  cany  you  to  the  Tolbooth."  At 
I  thought  he  jested  ;  but  finding  the  thing  was 
ed  one  or  two  of  our  friends  to  go  up 
with  me.  When  we  were  Bale  lodged  in  a  house  ad- 
joining to  the  Tolbooth,   I  desired  the  officer  to  let 


284      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

me  see  his  warrant.  I  found  the  prosecutor  was  one 
George  Sutherland,  once  a  member  of  the  society.  He 
had  deposed,  "  That  Hugh  Saunderson,  one  of  John 
Wesley's  Preachers,  had  taken  from  his  wife  one 
hundred  pounds  in  money,  and  upwards  of  thirty 
pounds  in  goods ;  and  had,  besides  that,  terrified 
her  into  madness,  so  that  through  the  want  of  her 
help,  and  the  loss  of  business,  he  was  damaged  five 
hundred  pounds." 

Before  the  Sheriff,  Archibald  Cockburn,  Esq.,  he  had 
deposed,  "That  the  said  John  Wesley  and  Hugh  Saun- 
derson, to  evade  her  pursuit,  were  preparing  to  fly 
the  country,  and  therefore  he  desired  this  warrant  to 
search  for,  seize,  and  incarcerate  them  in  the  Tolbooth, 
till  they  should  find  security  for  their  appearance." 
To  this  request  the  Sheriff  had  assented,  and  given 
his  warrant  for  that  purpose. 

But  why  does  he  incarcerate  John  Wesley  1  Nothing 
is  laid  against  him,  less  or  more.  Hugh  Saunderson 
preaches  in  connection  with  him.  What  then  ?  Was 
not  the  Sheriff  strangely  overseen  ? 

Mr  Sutherland  furiously  insisted  that  the  officer 
should  carry  us  to  the  Tolbooth  without  delay.  How- 
ever, he  waited  till  two  or  three  of  our  friends  came, 
and  gave  a  bond  for  our  appearance  on  the  24th  inst. 

Mr  S did  appear,  the  cause  was  heard,  and  the 

prosecutor  fined  one  thousand  pounds  ! 

Sun.,  5.  —  About  eight  I  preached  at  Ormiston, 
twelve  miles  from  Edinburgh.  The  house  being 
small,  I  stood  in  the  street  and  proclamed  "the  grace 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  congregation  behaved 
with  the  utmost  decency  ;  so  did  that  on  the  Castle- 
Hill  in  Edinburgh,  at  noon  ;  though  I  strongly  insisted, 
that  God  "now  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to 
repent."  In  the  evening  the  house  was  thoroughly 
filled  ;  and  many  seemed  deeply  affected.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  Satan,  had  it  been  in  his  power,  would 
have  had  me  otherwise  employed  this  day. 

Wed.,  8. — I  took  my  leave  of  our  affectionate  friends, 
and  in  the  evening  preached  at  Dunbar.1 
1  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  13-17. 


APPENDIX.  285 


Fifteenth  Visit,  1770. 

'/'  ..  M  /  7. — I  went  on  to  Selkirk  [from  Carlisle]. 
The  family  came  to  prayer  in  the  evening  ;  after  which 
the  mistress  of  it  said,  "  Sir,  my  daughter  Jenny  would 
be  very  fond  of  having  a  little  talk  with  you.  She  is 
a  strange  lass  ;  she  will  not  come  down  on  the  Lord's 
day  but  to  public  worship,  and  spends  all  the  rest  of 
the  day  in  her  own  chamber."  I  desired  she  would 
come  up,  and  found  one  that  earnestly  longed  to  be 
altogether  a  Christian.  I  satisfied  her  mother  that 
she  was  not  mad,  and  spent  a  little  time  in  advice, 
exhortation,  and  prayer. 

Wed.,  *. — We  set  out  early,  but  found  the  air  so 
keen,  that  before  noon  our  hands  bled  as  if  cut  with  a 
knife.  In  the  evening  I  preached  at  Edinburgh,  and 
the  next  evening,  near  the  river-side  in  Glasgow. 

F/'i.,  10. — I  went  to  Greenock  ;  it  being  their  Fast- 
day  before  the  Sacrament  (ridiculously  so  called,  for 
they  do  not  fast  at  all,  but  take  their  three  meals,  just 
as  on  other  days),  the  congregation  was  larger  than 

I  was  there  before,  and  remarkably  attentive. 
The  next  day  I  returned  to  Glasgow,  and  on  Sunday, 
12th,  went  in  the  morning  to  the  High  Kirk  (to  show 
I  was  n<>  bigot),  and  in  the  afternoon  to  the  Church  of 
England  Chapel.  The  decency  of  behaviour  here  sur- 
prises me  more  and  more.  I  know  nothing  like  it  in 
these  kingdoms,  except  among  the  Methodists.  In 
the  evening  the  congregation  by  the  river-side  was 
exceeding  numerous,  to  whom  I  declared  the  whole 
counsel  of  Qod. 

..  IS. — I  returned  to  Edinburgh,  and  the  next 
day  went  to  Peith.  where  (it  being  supposed  n<>  house 
would  contain  the  congregation)  I  preached  at  six  on 
the  South  Inch,  though  the  wind  was  cold  and  boister- 
ous. Many  are  the  stumbling-blocks  which  have  been 
laid  in  the  way  of  this  poor  people  ;  they  are  removed, 
but  the  effects  of  them  still  continue. 


286      WESLEY   AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Wed.,  15. — I  preached  at  Dundee,  to  nearly  as  large 
a  congregation  as  that  at  Port-Glasgow. 

Thurs.,  16. — I  attended  an  ordination  at  Arbroath. 
The  service  lasted  about  four  hours  ;  but  it  did  not 
strike  me.  It  was  doubtless  very  grave ;  but  I  thought 
it  was  very  dull. 

Fri.,  11. — I  reached  Aberdeen  in  good  time. 

Sat.,  18. — I  read  over  Dr  Johnson's  'Tour  to  the 
Western  Isles.'  It  is  a  very  curious  book,  wrote  with 
admirable  sense,  and,  I  think,  great  fidelity  ;  although, 
in  some  respects,  he  is  thought  to  bear  hard  on  the 
nation,  which  I  am  satisfied  he  never  intended. 

Sun.,  19. — I  attended  the  morning  service  at  the 
kirk,  full  as  formal  as  any  in  England,  and  no  way 
calculated  either  to  awaken  sinners  or  to  stir  up  the 
gift  of  God  in  believers.  In  the  afternoon  I  heard  a 
useful  sermon  at  the  English  Chapel,  and  was  again 
delighted  with  the  exquisite  decency,  both  of  the 
Minister  and  the  whole  congregation.  The  Methodist 
congregations  come  the  nearest  to  this.  But  even 
these  do  not  come  up  to  it.  Our  house  was  sufficiently 
crowded  in  the  evening  ;  but  some  of  the  hearers  did 
not  behave  like  those  at  the  chapel. 

Mon.,  20. — I  preached,  about  eleven,  at  Old  Meldrum, 
but  could  not  reach  Banff  till  near  seven  in  the  even- 
ing. I  went  directly  to  the  parade,  and  proclaimed  to 
a  listening  multitude,  "The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  All  behaved  well  but  a  few  gentry,  whom 
I  rebuked  openly  ;  and  they  stood  corrected. 

After  preaching,  Mrs  Gordon,  the  Admiral's  widow, 
invited  me  to  supper.  There  I  found  five  or  six  as 
agreeable  women  as  I  have  seen  in  the  kingdom,  and 
I  know  not  when  I  have  spent  two  or  three  hours  with 
greater  satisfaction.  In  the  morning  I  was  going  to 
preach  in  the  Assembly  Room,  when  the  Episcopal 
Minister  sent  and  offered  me  the  use  of  his  chapel.  It 
was  quickly  filled.  After  reading  prayers,  I  preached 
on  those  words  in  the  Second  Lesson,  "What  lack  I 
yet  1 "  and  strongly  applied  them  to  those  in  particular 
who  supposed  themselves  to  be  rich,  and  increased  in 
goods,  and  lacked  nothing.     I  then  set  out  for  Keith. 


APPENDIX,  287 

Banff  is  one  of  the  neatest  and  most  elegant  towns 
that  I  have  seen  in  Scotland.  It  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  the  side  of  a  hill,  sloping  from  the  sea,  though  close 
to  it,  so  that  it  is  sufficiently  sheltered  from  the  sharp- 
est winds.  The  streets  are  straight  and  broad.  I 
believe  it  may  be  esteemed  the  fifth  if  not  the  fourth 
town  in  the  kingdom.  The  county,  quite  from  Banff 
to  Keith,  is  the  best  peopled  of  any  I  have  seen  in 
Scotland.  This  is  chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  owing  to  the 
late  Earl  of  Findlater.  He  was  indefatigable  in  doing 
good,  took  pains  to  procure  industrious  men  from  all 
parts,  and  to  provide  such  little  settlements  for  them 
as  enabled  them  to  live  with  comfort. 

About  noon  I  preached  at  the  New-Mills,  nine  miles 
from  Banff,  to  a  large  congregation  of  plain  simple 
people.  As  we  rode  in  the  afternoon,  the  heat  over- 
came me,  so  that  I  was  weary  and  faint  before  we  came 
to  Keith.  But  I  no  sooner  stood  up  in  the  market- 
place than  I  forgot  my  weariness ;  such  were  the 
seriousness  and  attention  of  the  whole  congregation, 
though  as  numerous  as  that  at  Banff.  Mr  Gordon, 
the  Minister  of  the  parish,  invited  me  to  supper,  and 
told  me  his  kirk  was  at  my  service.  A  little  society  is 
formed  here  already,  and  is  in  a  fair  way  of  increasing. 
But  they  were  just  now  in  danger  of  losing  their 
preaching-house,  the  owner  being  determined  to  sell 
it.  I  saw  but  one  way  to  secure  it  for  them,  which 
was  to  buy  it  myself.  So  (who  would  have  thought 
it?)  I  bought  an  estate,  consisting  of  two  houses,  a 
yard,  a  garden,  with  three  acres  of  good  land.  But 
he  told  me  flat,  "  Sir,  I  will  take  no  less  for  it  than 
sixteen  pounds  ten  shillings,  to  be  paid,  part  now,  part 
at  Michaelmas,  and  the  residue  next  May." 

Here  Mr  Gordon  showed  me  a  great  curiosity.  Near 
t!i  •  top  of  the  opposite  hill  a  new  town  is  built,  con- 
taining. I  suppo.-e,  a  hundred  houses,  which  is  a  town 
of  beggars.  This,  he  informed  me,  was  the  professed, 
regular  occupation  of  all  the  inhabitants.  Early  in 
spring  they  all  go  out,  and  spread  themselves  over  the 
kingdom  ;  and  in  autumn  they  return,  and  do  what  is 
requisite  for  their  wives  and  children. 


288      WESLEY   AND    WHITEFIELD    IN    SCOTLAND. 

Wed.,  22. — The  wind  turning  north,  we  stepped  at 
once  from  June  to  January.  About  one  I  preached 
at  Inverury,  to  a  plain,  earnest,  loving  people,  and 
before  five  came  to  Aberdeen. 

Tkurs.,  23. — I  read  over  Mr  Pennant's  'Journey 
through  Scotland,'  a  lively  as  well  as  judicious  writer. 
Judicious,  I  mean,  in  most  respects  ;  but  I  cannot  give 
up  to  all  the  Deists  in  Great  Britain  the  existence  of 
witchcraft,  till  I  give  up  the  credit  of  all  history,  sacred 
and  profane.  And  at  the  present  time  I  have  not  only 
as  strong,  but  stronger  proofs  of  this,  from  eye  and  ear 
witnesses,  than  I  have  of  murder  ;  so  that  I  cannot 
rationally  doubt  of  one  any  more  than  the  other. 

Fri.,  24. — I  returned  to  Arbroath,  and  lodged  at 
Provost  Grey's.  So,  for  a  time,  we  are  in  honour  !  I 
have  hardly  seen  such  another  place  in  the  three  king- 
doms as  this  is  at  present.  Hitherto  there  is  no  opposer 
at  all,  but  every  one  seems  to  bid  us  God-speed  ! 

Sat.,  25. — I  preached  at  Westhaven  (a  town  of  fisher- 
men) about  noon,  and  at  Dundee  in  the  evening. 

Sun.,  26. — I  went  to  the  New  Church,  cheerful,  light- 
some, and  admirably  well  finished.  A  young  gentleman 
preached  such  a  sermon,  both  for  sense  and  language, 
as  I  never  heard  in  North  Britain  before  ;  and  I  was 
informed  his  life  is  as  his  preaching.  At  five  we  had 
an  exceeding  large  congregation  ;  and  the  people  of 
Dundee  in  general  behave  better  at  public  worship 
than  any  in  the  kingdom,  except  the  Methodists,  and 
those  at  the  Episcopal  chapels.  In  all  other  kirks  the 
bulk  of  the  people  are  bustling  to  and  fro,  before  the 
Minister  has  ended  his  prayer.  In  Dundee  all  are 
quiet,  and  none  stir  at  all  till  he  has  pronounced  the 
blessing. 

Mon.,  27. — I  paid  a  visit  to  St  Andrews,  once  the 
largest  city  in  the  kingdom.  It  was  eight  times  as 
large  as  it  is  now,  and  a  place  of  very  great  trade. 
But  the  sea  rushing  from  the  north-east,  gradually 
destroyed  the  harbour  and  the  trade  together  ;  in 
consequence  of  which  whole  streets  (that  were)  are  now 
meadows  and  gardens.  Three  broad,  straight,  hand- 
some streets  remain,  all  pointing  at  the  old  cathedral, 


APPENDIX.  289 

which  by  the  ruins  appears  to  have  been  above  three 
hundred  feet  long,  and  proportionally  broad  and  high ; 
so  that  it  seems  to  have  exceeded  York  Minster,  and 
to  have  at  least  equalled  any  cathedral  in  England. 
Another  church,  afterwards  used  in  its  stead,  bears 
date  1124.  A  steeple  standing  near  the  cathedral  is 
thought  to  have  stood  thirteen  hundred  years. 

What  is  left  of  St  Leonard's  College  is  only  a  heap 
of  ruins.  Two  colleges  remain.  One  of  them  has  a 
tolerable  square  ;  but  all  the  windows  are  broke,  like 
those  of  a  brothel.  We  were  informed,  "The  students 
do  this  before  they  leave  the  college."  Where  are 
their  blessed  governors  in  the  mean  time  1  Are  they 
all  fast  asleep  I  The  other  college  is  a  mean  building, 
but  has  a  handsome  library  newly  erected.  In  the 
two  colleges,  we  learned,  were  about  seventy  students, 
near  the  same  number  as  at  Old  Aberdeen.  Those 
at  New  Aberdeen  are  not  more  numerous  ;  neither 
those  at  Glasgow.  In  Edinburgh,  I  suppose,  there 
are  a  hundred.  So  four  Universities  contain  three 
hundred  and  ten  students  !  These  all  come  to  their 
several  colleges  in  November,  and  return  home  in 
May  :  So  they  may  study  five  months  in  the  year, 
and  lounge  all  the  rest !  O  where  was  the  common- 
sense  of  those  who  instituted  such  colleges  ?  In  the 
English  colleges  every  one  may  reside  all  the  year, 
as  all  my  pupils  did  ;  and  I  should  have  thought  my- 
self little  better  than  a  highwayman  if  I  had  not 
lectured  them  every  day  in  the  year  but  Sundays. 

We  were  so  long  detained  at  the  passage,  that  I 
only  reached  Edinburgh  time  enough  to  give  notice 
of  my  preaching  the  next  day.  After  preaching  at 
Dunbar,  Alnwick,  and  Morpeth,  on  Saturday,  June  1, 
I  reached  Newcastle.1 


ekhth  Visit,  1779. 

.  1770. — We  had  such  a  congregation 
at  Dunbar  as  I  have  not  seen  there  for  many  yean. 
1  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  71-75. 
T 


290      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN  SCOTLAND. 

Thurs.,  27. — I  went  on  to  Edinburgh.  I  was  agree- 
ably surprised  at  the  singing  in  the  evening  :  I  have 
not  heard  such  female  voices,  so  strong  and  clear, 
anywhere  in  England  ! 

Fri.,  28. — I  went  to  Glasgow,  and  preached  in  the 
house,  but  the  next  evening  by  the  river-side. 

Sun.,  30. — At  seven  I  spoke  exceeding  strong  words 
in  applying  the  parable  of  the  Sower.  In  the  after- 
noon I  went  to  the  English  Chapel ;  but  how  was  I 
surprised  !  Such  decency  have  I  seldom  seen  even  at 
West -Street,  or  the  New  Eoom  in  Bristol.  1.  All, 
both  men  and  women,  were  dressed  plain  :  I  did  not 
see  one  high  head.  2.  No  one  took  notice  of  any  one 
at  coming  in,  but  after  a  short  ejaculation  sat  quite 
still.  3.  None  spoke  to  any  one  during  the  service, 
nor  looked  either  on  one  side  or  the  other.  4.  All 
stood,  every  man,  woman,  and  child,  while  the  Psalms 
were  sung.  5.  Instead  of  an  unmeaning  voluntary, 
was  an  anthem,  and  one  of  the  simplest  and  sweetest 
I  ever  heard.  6.  The  prayers,  preceding  a  sound, 
useful  sermon,  were  seriously  and  devoutly  read.  7. 
After  service,  none  bowed,  or  curtsied,  or  spoke,  but 
went  quietly  and  silently  away. 

After  church  I  preached  again  by  the  river-side,  to 
a  huge  multitude  of  serious  people  ;  I  believe  full  as 
many  more  as  we  had  the  Sunday  before  at  Newcastle. 
Surely  we  shall  not  lose  all  our  labour  here  ! 

Mon.,  31. — I  returned  to  Edinburgh,  and,  June  1, 
set  out  on  my  northern  journey.  In  the  evening  I 
preached  at  Dundee.  The  congregation  was,  as  usual, 
very  large  and  deeply  attentive  ;  but  that  was  all. 
I  did  not  perceive  that  any  one  was  affected  at  all. 
I  admire  this  people  !  so  decent !  so  serious !  and  so 
perfectly  unconcerned  ! 

Wed.,  June  2. — We  went  on  to  Arbroath,  where  was 
near  as  large  a  congregation  as  at  Dundee,  but  nothing 
so  serious ;  the  poor  Glassites  here,  pleading  for  a 
merely  notional  faith,  greatly  hinder  either  the  begin- 
ning or  the  progress  of  any  real  work  of  God. 

Thurs.,  3. — I  preached  at  Aberdeen,  to  a  people  that 
can  feel  as  well  as  hear. 


APPENDIX.  291 

Fri.,  4. — I  set  out  for  Inverness,  and  about  eight 
preached  at  Inverury,  to  a  considerable  number  of 
plain,  country-people,  just  like  those  we  see  in  York- 
shire. My  spirit  was  much  refreshed  among  them, 
observing  several  of  them  in  tears.  Before  we  came 
to  Strathbogie  (now  new-named  Huntly),  Mr  Brack- 
enbury  was  much  fatigued  ;  so  I  desired  him  to  go 
into  the  chaise,  and  rode  forward  to  Keith. 

Mr  Gordon,  the  Minister,  invited  us  to  drink  tea 
at  his  house.  In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  market- 
place. Four  children,  after  they  had  stood  a  while 
to  consider,  ventured  to  come  near  me,  then  a  few 
men  and  women  crept  forward,  till  we  had  upwards 
of  a  hundred.  At  nine,  on  Sunday,  6,  I  suppose  they 
were  doubled,  and  some  of  them  seemed  a  little  affected. 
I  dined  at  Mr  Gordon's,  who  behaved  in  the  most 
courteous,  yea,  and  affectionate  manner.  At  three  I 
preached  in  the  kirk,  one  of  the  largest  I  have  seen 
in  the  kingdom,  but  very  ruinous.  It  was  thoroughly 
filled,  and  God  was  there  in  an  uncommon  manner. 
He  sent  forth  His  voice,  yea,  and  that  a  mighty  voice  ; 
so  that  I  believe  many  of  the  stout-hearted  trembled. 
In  the  evening  I  preached  once  more  in  the  market- 
place, on  those  awful  words,  "  Where  their  worm  dieth 
not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched." 

Menu,  7.  —  I  came  to  Grange  -  Green,  near  Fores, 
[Forres  '?]  about  twelve  o'clock.  But  I  found  the 
house  had  changed  its  master  since  I  was  here  before, 
nine  years  ago.  Mr  Grant  (who  then  lived  in  his 
brother's  house)  was  now  Sir  Lodowick  Grant,  having 
succeeded  to  the  title  and  estate  of  Sir  Alexander, 
dying  without  issue.  But  his  mind  was  not  changed 
with  his  fortune  :  he  received  me  with  cordial  affec- 
t i<  .11 .  and  insisted  on  my  sending  for  Mrs  Smith  and 
her  little  girl,  whom  I  had  left  at  Fores.  We  were 
all  here  as  at  home,  in  one  of  the  most  healthy  and 
most  pleasant  situations  in  the  kingdom  ;  and  I  had 
the  satisfaction  to  observe  my  daughter  sensibly  re- 
atrength,  almost  every  hour.  In  the 
evening  all  the  family  were  called  in  to  prayers,  to 
whom  I  first  expounded  a  portion  of  Scripture.     Thus 


292      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

ended  this  comfortable  day  !  So  has  God  provided  for 
us  in  a  strange  land. 

Tues.,  8. — I  found  another  hearty  welcome  from 
Mr  Dunbar,  the  Minister  of  Nairn.  A  little  after  ten 
I  preached  in  his  kirk,  which  was  full  from  end  to 
end.  I  have  seldom  seen  a  Scotch  congregation  so 
sensibly  affected  ;  indeed  it  seemed  that  God  smote 
rocks,  and  brake  the  hearts  of  stone  in  pieces. 

In  the  afternoon  I  reached  Inverness,  but  found  a 
new  face  of  things  there.  Good  Mr  Mackenzie  had 
been  for  some  years  removed  to  Abraham's  bosom. 
Mr  Fraser,  his  colleague,  a  pious  man  of  the  old 
stamp,  was  likewise  gone  to  rest.  The  three  present 
Ministers  are  of  another  kind  ;  so  that  I  have  no 
more  place  in  the  kirk,  and  the  wind  and  rain  would 
not  permit  me  to  preach  on  the  Green  :  however,  our 
house  was  large,  though  gloomy  enough.  Being  now 
informed  (which  I  did  not  suspect  before),  that  the 
town  was  uncommonly  given  to  drunkenness,  I  used 
the  utmost  plainness  of  speech,  and  I  believe  not  with- 
out effect.  I  then  spent  some  time  with  the  society, 
increased  from  twelve  to  between  fifty  and  sixty. 
Many  of  these  knew  in  whom  they  had  believed,  and 
many  were  going  on  to  perfection  ;  so  that  all  the 
pains  which  have  been  taken  to  stop  the  work  of  God 
here  have  hitherto  been  in  vain. 

Wed.,  9. — We  had  another  rainy  day,  so  that  I  was 
again  driven  into  the  house  ;  and  again  I  delivered  my 
own  soul  to  a  larger  congregation  than  before.  In  the 
morning  we  had  an  affectionate  parting,  perhaps  to 
meet  no  more.  I  am  glad,  however,  that  I  have  made 
three  journeys  to  Inverness  ;  it  has  not  been  lost 
labour. 

Between  ten  and  eleven  I  began  preaching  at  Nairn. 
The  house  was  pretty  well  filled  again  ;  and  many 
more  of  the  gentry  were  there  than  were  present  on 
Tuesday.  It  pleased  God  to  give  me  again  liberty  of 
speech,  in  opening  and  applying  those  words,  "  God  is 
a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  Him,  must  worship 
Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

About  two  we  reached  Sir  Lodowick  Grant's.     In 


APPENDIX.  293 


the  evening  we  had  a  very  serious  congregation  ; 
afterwards  I  spent  an  hour  very  agreeably  with  the 
family,  and  two  or  three  neighbouring  gentlemen. 

Fri.,  11. — We  did  not  stop  at  Keith,  but  went  on  to 
Strathbogie.  Here  we  were  in  a  clean,  convenient 
house,  and  had  everything  we  wanted.  All  the  family 
very  willingly  joined  us  in  prayer.  We  then  slept 
in  peace. 

BaL,  1  '. — About  one,  I  preached  at  Inverury,  to  a 
larger  congregation  than  before,  and  was  again  re- 
freshed with  the  simplicity  and  earnestness  of  the 
plain  country-people.  In  the  evening  I  preached  at 
Aberdeen. 

Sun.,  IS. — I  spoke  as  closely  as  I  could,  both  morn- 
ing and  evening,  and  made  a  pointed  application  to  the 
hearts  of  all  that  were  present.  I  am  convinced  this 
is  the  only  way  whereby  we  can  do  any  good  in  Scot- 
land. This  v^ry  day  I  heard  many  excellent  truths 
delivered  in  the  kirk  ;  but  as  there  was  no  application, 
it  was  likely  to  do  as  much  good  as  the  singing  of  a 
lark.  I  wonder  the  pious  Ministers  in  Scotland  are 
not  sensible  of  this  ;  they  cannot  but  see  that  no 
sinners  are  convinced  of  sin,  none  converted  to  God, 
by  this  way  of  preaching.  How  strange  it  is  then, 
that  neither  reason  nor  experience  teaches  them  to 
take  a  better  way  ! 

Mon.i  llf. — I  preached  again  at  Arbroath. 

Tues.,  15.  —  At  Dundee  ;  and  Wed.,  16,  at  Edin- 
burgh. 

Th.ars..  17. — I  examined  the  society.  In  five  years 
I  found  five  members  had  been  gained  !  Ninety- nine 
being  increased  to  a  hundred  and  four.  What  then 
our  Preachers  been  doing  all  this  time1?  1.  They 
have  preached  four  evenings  in  the  week,  and  on 
Sunday  morning  ;  the  other  mornings  they  have  fairly 
given  up.  2.  They  have  taken  great  care  not  to  speak 
too  plain,  lest  they  should  give  offence.  3.  When  Mr 
Brackenbury  preached  the  old  Methodist  doctrine,  one 
of  them  said,  "You  must  not  preach  such  doctrine 
here  :  the  doctrine  of  Perfection  is  not  calculated  for 
the  meridian  of  Edinburgh."     Waiving  then  all  other 


294      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

hindrances,  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  work  of  God  has 
not  prospered  here  1 

On  Friday  and  Saturday  I  preached  with  all  possible 
plainness,  and  some  appeared  to  be  much  stirred  up. 

On  Sunday,  20,  I  preached  at  eight,  and  at  half  an 
hour  past  twelve,  and  God  gave  us  a  parting  blessing. 

I  was  in  hopes  of  preaching  abroad  at  Dunbar  in  the 
evening,  but  the  rain  would  not  permit.1 


Seventeenth  Visit,  1780. 

Mon.,  15  [May  1780]. — I  set  out  for  Scotland,  and 
Tuesday,  16,  came  to  Berwick-upon-Tweed.  Such  a 
congregation  I  have  not  seen  there  for  many  years. 
Perhaps  the  seed  which  has  so  long  seemed  to  be  sown 
in  vain  may  at  length  produce  a  good  harvest. 

Wed.,  17. — I  went  on  to  Dunbar.  I  have  seldom 
seen  such  a  congregation  here  before  ;  indeed  some  of 
them  seemed  at  first  disposed  to  mirth,  but  they  were 
soon  serious  as  death.  And  truly  the  power  of  the 
Lord  was  present  to  heal  those  that  were  willing  to 
come  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

Thurs.,  18. — I  read  with  great  expectation  Dr  Watts' 
1  Essay  on  Liberty,5  but  I  was  much  disappointed.  It 
is  abstruse  and  metaphysical.  Surely  he  wrote  it  either 
when  he  was  very  young  or  very  old.  In  the  evening 
I  endeavoured  to  preach  to  the  hearts  of  a  large  con- 
gregation at  Edinburgh.  "We  have  cast  much  bread 
upon  the  waters  here ;  shall  we  not  find  it  again,  at 
least,  after  many  days  1 

Fri.,  19.  —  I  preached  at  Joppa,  a  settlement  of 
colliers,  three  miles  from  Edinburgh.  Some  months 
ago,  as  some  of  them  were  cursing  and  swearing,  one 
of  our  Local  Preachers  going  by,  reproved  them.  One 
of  them  followed  after  him,  and  begged  he  would  give 
them  a  sermon  ;  he  did  so  several  times.  Afterwards 
the  Travelling  Preachers  went,  and  a  few  quickly 
agreed  to  meet  together.     Some  of  these  now  know  in 

1  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  147-150. 


APPENDIX.  295 

whom  they  have  believed,  and  walk  worthy  of  their 
profession. 

Sat.,  20. — I  took  one  more  walk  through  Holy  rood 
House,  the  mansion  of  ancient  Kings.  But  how 
melancholy  an  appearance  does  it  make  now  !  The 
stately  rooms  are  dirty  as  stables  ;  the  colours  of  the 
tapestry  are  quite  faded  ;  several  of  the  pictures  are 
cut  and  defaced  ;  the  roof  of  the  royal  chapel  is  fallen 
in,  and  the  bones  of  James  the  Fifth,  and  the  once 
1  teautiful  Lord  Darnley,  are  scattered  about  like  those 
of  sheep  or  oxen.  Such  is  human  greatness  !  Is  not 
a  "  living  dog  better  than  a  dead  lion  "  ? 

Sun.,  21. — The  rain  hindered  me  from  preaching  at 
noon  upon  the  Castle-Hill.  In  the  evening  the  house 
was  well  tilled,  and  I  was  enabled  to  speak  strong 
words.  But  I  am  not  a  Preacher  for  the  people  of 
Edinburgh.  Hugh  Saunderson  and  Michael  Fenwick 
are  more  to  their  taste. 

Tn.es.,  23. — A  gentleman  took  me  to  see  Boslyn 
Castle,  eight  miles  from  Edinburgh.  It  is  now  all  in 
ruins,  only  a  small  dwelling-house  is  built  on  one  part 
of  it.  The  situation  of  it  is  exceeding  fine,  on  the  side 
of  a  steep  mountain,  hanging  over  a  river,  from  which 
another  mountain  rises,  equally  steep  and  clothed  with 
wood.  At  a  little  distance  is  the  chapel,  which  is  in 
perfect  preservation,  both  within  and  without.  I 
should  never  have  thought  that  it  had  belonged  to  any 
one  less  than  a  sovereign  prince  !  The  inside  being 
far  more  elegantly  wrought  with  variety  of  Scripture- 
histories  in  stone-work,  than  I  believe  can  be  found 
again  in  Scotland,  perhaps  not  in  England. 

Hence  we  went  to  Dunbar. 

Wedn  9dayi  '.'+. — In  the  afternoon  I  went  through 
the  lovely  garden  of  a  gentleman  in  the  town,  who 
has  laid  out  walks  hanging  over  the  sea,  and  winding 
among  the  rocks  ;  one  of  them  leads  to  the  castle, 
wherein  that  poor  injured  woman,  Mary  Queen  of  Scots, 
was  confined.  But  time  has  wellnigh  devoured  it, 
only  a  few  ruinous  walls  are  now  standing. 
), — We  went  on  to  Berwick.1 
1  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  176,  177. 


296      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 


Eighteenth  Visit,  1782. 

Mon.,  27  [May  1782].— I  set  out  for  Scotland,  and 
Wednesday,  29th,  reached  Dunbar.  The  weather  was 
exceeding  rough  and  stormy  ;  yet  we  had  a  large  and 
serious  congregation. 

Thurs.,  20. — Finding  the  grounds  were  so  flooded, 
that  the  common  roads  were  not  passable,  we  provided 
a  guide  to  lead  us  a  few  miles  round,  by  which  means 
we  came  safe  to  Edinburgh. 

FrL,  31. — As  I  lodged  with  Lady  Maxwell  at 
Saughton-Hall  (a  good  old  mansion-house  three  miles 
from  Edinburgh),  she  desired  me  to  give  a  short 
discourse  to  a  few  of  her  poor  neighbours.  I  did  so, 
at  four  in  the  afternoon,  on  the  story  of  Dives  and 
Lazarus.  About  seven  I  preached  in  our  house  at 
Edinburgh,  and  fully  delivered  my  own  soul. 

Sat.,  June  1. — I  spent  a  little  time  with  forty  poor 
children  whom  Lady  Maxwell  keeps  at  school.  They 
are  swiftly  brought  forward  in  reading  and  writing, 
and  learn  the  principles  of  religion.  But  I  observe 
in  them  all  the  ambitiosa  paupertas.  Be  they  ever 
so  poor,  they  must  have  a  scrap  of  finery.  Many  of 
them  have  not  a  shoe  to  their  foot,  but  a  girl  in  rags 
is  not  without  her  ruffles. 

Sun.,  2. — Mr  Collins  intended  to  have  preached  on 
the  Castle-hill  at  twelve  o'clock  ;  but  the  dull  Minister 
kept  us  in  the  kirk  till  past  one.  At  six  the  house 
was  well  filled,  and  I  did  not  shun  to  declare  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.  I  almost  wonder  at  myself. 
I  seldom  speak  anywhere  so  roughly  as  in  Scotland  ; 
and  yet  most  of  the  people  hear  and  hear,  and  are  just 
as  they  were  before. 

Mon.,  3. — I  went  on  to  Dundee.  The  congregation 
was  large  and  attentive,  as  usual ;  but  1  found  no 
increase,  either  of  the  society,  or  of  the  work  of  God. 

Tues.,  4- — The  house  at  Arbroath  was  well  filled 
with  serious  and  attentive  hearers.     Only  one  or  two 


L 


APPENDIX.  297 

pretty  flatterers  seemed  inclined  to  laugh,  if  any  would 
have  encouraged  them. 

Wed-i  5. — We  Bet  out  early,  hut  did  not  reach  Aber- 
deen till  between  live  and  six  in  the  evening.  The 
congregations  were  large  both  morning  and  evening, 
and  many  of  them  much  alive  to  God. 

Fri.,  7. — We  received  a  pleasing  account  of  the  work 
oi  (  tod  in  the  north.  The  flame  begins  to  kindle  even 
at  poor  dull  Keith  ;  but  much  more  at  a  little  town 
near  Fraserburgh  ;  and  most  of  all  at  Newburgh,  a 
small  fishing  town  fifteen  miles  from  Aberdeen,  where 
the  society  swiftly  increases  ;  and  not  only  men  and 
women,  but  a  considerable  number  of  children,  are 
either  rejoicing  in  God,  or  panting  after  him. 

Sat.,  S. — I  walked  with  a  friend  to  Mr  Lesley's  seat, 
'ian  a  mile  from  the  city.  It  is  one  of  the  pleas- 
antest  places  of  the  kind  I  ever  saw,  either  in  Britain 
or  Ireland.  He  has  laid  his  gardens  out  on  the  side  of 
a  hill,  which  gives  a  fine  prospect  both  of  sea  and  land  ; 
and  the  variety  is  beyond  what  could  be  expected  with- 
in so  small  a  compass  ;  but  still 

:c  Valeat  possessor  oportet, 
Si  comportatis  rebus  bene  cogitat  uti." 

Unle>-  a  man  have  peace  within,  he  can  enjoy  none  of 
the  things  that  are  round  about  him. 

San.,  '■'. — We  had  a  lovely  congregation  in  the  morn- 
ing, many  of  whom  were  athirst  for  full  salvation.  In 
the  evening  God  sent  forth  his  voice,  yea,  and  that  a 
mighty  voice.  I  think  few  of  the  congregation  were 
unmoved  ;  and  we  never  had  a  more  solemn  parting. 

Mon.,  10. — We  went  to  Arbroath  ;  Tuesday,  11th,  to 
Dundee  ;  and  Wednesday,  12th,  to  Edinburgh.  We 
had  such  congregations,  both  that  evening  and  the 
next,  as  had  not  been  on  a  week-day  for  many  years. 
fruit  of  our  labours  here  we  have  had  already ; 
perhaps  this  is  a  token  that  we  shall  have  more. 

Fri..  1/f. — We  travelled  through  a  pleasant  country 
to  Kelso,  where  we  were  cordially  received  by  Dr. 
Doughs.  I  -poke  strong  words  in  the  evening,  con- 
cerning judgment  to  come  :  and  some  seemed  to  awake 


298      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN  SCOTLAND. 

out  of  sleep.     But  how  shall  they  keep  awake,  unless 
they  "  that  fear  the  Lord,  speak  often  together  "  ? 

Sat.,  15. — As  I  was  coming  down-stairs,  the  carpet 
slipped  from  under  my  feet,  which,  I  know  not  how, 
turned  me  round,  and  pitched  me  back  with  my  head 
foremost  for  six  or  seven  stairs.  It  was  impossible  to 
recover  myself  till  I  came  to  the  bottom.  My  head 
rebounded  once  or  twice  from  the  edge  of  the  stone 
stairs  ;  but  it  felt  to  me  exactly  as  if  I  had  fallen  on  a 
cushion  or  a  pillow.  Dr.  Douglas  ran  out  sufficiently 
affrighted  ;  but  he  needed  not,  for  I  rose  as  well  as 
ever,  having  received  no  damage,  but  the  loss  of  a 
little  skin  from  one  or  two  of  my  fingers.  Doth  not 
God  "  give  his  angels  charge  over  us,  to  keep  us  in 
all  our  ways  "  1 1 


Nineteenth  Visit,  1784. 

Friday,  23  [April  1784].  —  The  road  from  hence 
[Longtown]  to  Langholm  is  delightfully  pleasant,  run- 
ning mostly  by  the  side  of  a  clear  river ;  but  it  was 
past  seven  before  we  reached  Selkirk. 

Sat.,  24. — "We  had  frost  in  the  morning,  snow  before 
seven,  piercing  winds  all  day  long,  and  in  the  after- 
noon vehement  hail ;  so  that  I  did  not  wonder  we  had 
a  small  congregation  at  Edinburgh  in  the  evening. 

Sun.,  25. — I  attended  the  Tolbooth  Kirk  at  eleven. 
The  sermon  was  very  sensible  ;  but  having  no  appli- 
cation, was  no  way  likely  to  awaken  drowsy  hearers. 
About  four  I  preached  at  Lady  Maxwell's,  two  or 
three  miles  from  Edinburgh,  and  at  six  in  our  own 
house.  For  once  it  was  thoroughly  filled.  I  preached 
on  "  God  is  a  Spirit ;  and  they  that  worship  him, 
must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  I  am 
amazed  at  this  people.  Use  the  most  cutting  words, 
and  apply  them  in  the  most  pointed  manner  ;  still  they 
hear,  but  feel  no  more  than  the  seats  they  sit  upon  ! 

Mon.,  26. — I  went  to  Glasgow,  and  preached  in  the 
1  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  222-224. 


ArPENDix.  299 

evening  to  a  very  different  congregation.  Many 
attended  in  the  morning,  although  the  morning 
preaching  had  been  long  discontinued  both  here  and 
at  Edinburgh.  In  the  evening,  many  were  obliged 
to  go  away,  the  house  not  being  able  to  contain  them. 

Wed.,  98. — We  found  the  same  inconvenience,  but 
those  who  could  get  in  found  a  remarkable  blessing. 

Thurs.,  29.  —  The  house  was  thoroughly  filled  at 
four,  and  the  hearts  of  the  people  were  as  melting 
wax.  Afterwards  I  returned  to  Edinburgh,  and  in 
the  evening  the  house  was  well  filled  ;  so  that  we 
must  not  say,  "The  people  of  Edinburgh  love  the 
Word  of  God  only  on  the  Lord's  day." 

Fri.,  SO. — "We  went  to  Perth,  now  but  the  shadow 
of  what  it  was,  though  it  begins  to  lift  up  its  head. 
It  is  certainly  the  sweetest  place  in  all  North  Britain, 
unless  perhaps  Dundee.  I  preached  in  the  Tolbooth, 
to  a  large  and  well-behaved  congregation.  Many  of 
them  were  present  again  at  five  in  the  morning, 
May  1.  I  then  went  to  Dundee,  through  the  Carse 
of  Gowry,  the  fruitfullest  valley  in  the  kingdom  : 
and  I  observe  a  spirit  of  improvement  prevails  in 
Dundee,  and  all  the  country  round  about  it.  Hand- 
some houses  spring  up  on  every  side,  trees  are  planted 
in  abundance,  wastes  and  commons  are  continually 
turned  into  meadows  and  fruitful  fields.  There  wants 
only  a  proportionable  improvement  in  religion,  and 
this  will  be  one  of  the  happiest  countries  in  Europe. 

In  the  evening  I  preached  in  our  own  ground  to 
a  numerous  congregation  :  but  the  next  afternoon  to 
one  far  more  numerous  ;  on  whom  I  earnestly  en- 
forced, "How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinio). a  ' 
Many  of  them  seemed  almost  persuaded  to  halt  no 
longer  :  but  God  only  knows  the  heart. 

..  May  S. — I  was  agreeably  surprised  at  the  im- 
provement of  the  land  between  Dundee  and  Arbroath. 
Our  preaching  -  house  at  Arbroath  was  completely 
filled.  I  spoke  exceeding  plain,  on  the  difference  of 
building  upon  the  sand,  and  building  upon  the  rock. 
Truly  these  "approve  the  things  that  are  excellent,"" 
whether  they  practice  them  or  not. 


300      WESLEY  AND  WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

I  found  this  to  be  a  genuine  Methodist  society  : 
they  are  all  thoroughly  united  to  each  other.  They 
love  and  keep  our  rules.  They  long  and  expect  to 
be  perfected  in  love  :  if  they  continue  so  to  do,  they 
will  and  must  increase  in  number  as  well  as  in  grace. 

Tues.,  4. — I  reached  Aberdeen  between  four  and  five 
in  the  afternoon. 

Wed.,  5. — I  found  the  morning  preaching  had  been 
long  discontinued  ;  yet  the  bands  and  the  select  society 
were  kept  up.  But  many  were  faint  and  weak  for 
want  of  morning  preaching  and  prayer-meetings,  of 
which  I  found  scarce  any  trace  in  Scotland. 

In  the  evening  I  talked  largely  with  the  Preachers, 
and  showed  them  the  hurt  it  did  both  them  and  the 
people  for  any  one  Preacher  to  stay  six  or  eight  weeks 
together  in  one  place.  Neither  can  he  find  matter  for 
preaching  every  morning  and  evening,  nor  will  the 
people  come  to  hear  him.  Hence  he  grows  cold  by 
lying  in  bed,  and  so  do  the  people.  Whereas,  if  he 
never  stays  more  than  a  fortnight  together .  in  one 
place,  he  may  find  matter  enough,  and  the  people  will 
gladly  hear  him.  They  immediately  drew  up  such 
a  plan  for  their  circuit,  which  they  determined  to 
pursue. 

Thurs.,  6. — "We  had  the  largest  congregation  at  five 
which  I  have  seen  since  I  came  into  the  kingdom.  We 
set  out  immediately  after  preaching,  and  reached  Old 
Meldrum  about  ten.  A  servant  of  Lady  Banff's  was 
waiting  for  us  there,  who  desired  I  would  take  post- 
horses  to  Fort-Glen.  In  two  hours  we  reached  an  inn, 
which  the  servant  told  us  was  four  little  miles  from 
her  house.  So  we  made  the  best  of  our  way,  and  got 
thither  in  exactly  three  hours.  All  the  family  re- 
ceived us  with  the  most  cordial  affection.  At  seven 
I  preached  to  a  small  congregation,  all  of  whom 
were  seriously  attentive,  and  some,  I  believe  deeply 
affected. 

Fri.,  7. — I  took  a  walk  round  about  the  town.  I 
know  not  when  I  have  seen  so  pleasant  a  place.  One 
part  of  the  house  is  an  ancient  castle,  situated  on  the 
top  of  a  little  hill.     At  a  small  distance  runs  a  clear 


APPENDIX.  301 

river,  with  a  beautiful  wood  on  its  banks.  Close  to  it 
is  a  shady  walk  to  the  right,  and  another  on  the  left 
hand.  On  two  sides  up  the  house  there  is  abundance 
of  wood  ;  on  the  other,  a  wide  prospect  over  fields  and 
meadows.  About  ten  I  preached  again,  and  with 
much  liberty  of  spirit,  on,  "  Love  never  faileth." 
About  two  I  left  this  charming  place,  and  made  for 
Keith.  But  I  know  not  how  we  could  have  got 
thither  had  not  Lady  Banff  sent  me  forward  through 
that  miserable  road  with  four  stout  horses. 

I  preached  about  seven  to  the  poor  of  this  world 
(not  a  silk  coat  was  seen  among  them) ;  and  to  the 
greatest  part  of  them  at  five  in  the  morning.  And  I 
did  not  at  all  regret  my  labour. 

s  .,  & — We  reached  the  banks  of  the  Spey.  I 
suppose  there  are  few  such  livers  in  Europe.  The 
rapidity  of  it  exceeds  even  that  of  the  Rhine  ;  and  it 
was  now  much  swelled  with  melting  snow.  However, 
we  made  shift  to  get  over  before  ten ;  and  about  twelve 
reached  Elgin.  Here  I  was  received  by  a  daughter  of 
good  Mr  Plenderleith,  late  of  Edinburgh,  with  whom, 
having  spent  an  agreeable  hour,  I  hastened  towards 
Fores  [Forres]  :  but  we  were  soon  at  a  full  stop  again  ; 
the  river  Findhorn  also  was  so  swollen,  that  we  were 
afraid  the  ford  was  not  passable.  However,  having  a 
good  guide,  we  passed  it  without  much  difficulty.  I 
found  Sir  Lodowick  Grant  almost  worn  out.  Never 
was  a  visit  more  seasonable.  By  free  and  friendly 
conversation  his  spirits  were  so  raised,  that  I  am  in 
hopes  it  will  lengthen  his  life. 

Sun.,  9. — I  preached  to  a  small  company  at  noon,  on, 
"His  commandments  are  not  grievous.'3  As  I  was 
concluding,  Colonel  Grant  and  his  lady  came  in  ;  for 
wlp.se  sake  I  began  again,  and  lectured,  as  they  call 
it,  on  the  former  part  of  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  St 
Luke.  We  had  a  larger  company  in  the  afternoon, 
to  whom  I  preached  on  "judgment  to  come."  And 
this  subject  seemed  to  affect  them  most. 

Jfoik,  10. — I  set  out  for  Inverness.  I  had  sent  Mr 
M'Allum  before  on  George  Whitfield's  horse,  to  give 
notice  of  my  coming.     Hereby  I  was  obliged  to  take 


302      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

both  George  and  Mrs  M'Allum  with  me  in  my  chaise. 
To  ease  the  horses,  we  walked  forward  from  Nairn, 
ordering  Richard  to  follow  us,  as  soon  as  they  were 
fed  ;  he  did  so,  but  there  were  two  roads.  So  we  took 
one,  and  he  took  the  other,  we  walked  about  twelve 
miles  and  a  half  of  the  way  through  heavy  rain.  "We 
then  found  Richard  waiting  for  us  at  a  little  ale- 
house, and  drove  on  to  Inverness.  But,  blessed  be 
God,  I  was  no  more  tired  than  when  I  set  out  from 
Nairn.  I  preached  at  seven  to  a  far  larger  congre- 
gation than  I  had  seen  here  since  I  had  preached  in 
the  kirk.  And  surely  the  labour  was  not  in  vain  ;  for 
God  sent  a  message  to  many  hearts. 

Tues.,  11. — Notwithstanding  the  long  discontinuance 
of  morning  preaching,  we  had  a  large  congregation  at 
five.  I  breakfasted  at  the  first  house  I  was  invited  to 
at  Inverness,  where  good  Mr  M'Kenzie  then  lived.  His 
three  daughters  live  in  it  now  ;  one  of  whom  inherits 
all  the  spirit  of  her  father.  In  the  afternoon  we  took 
a  walk  over  the  bridge,  into  one  of  the  pleasantest 
countries  I  have  seen.  It  runs  along  by  the  side  of 
the  clear  river,  and  is  well  cultivated  and  well  wooded. 
And  here  first  we  heard  abundance  of  birds,  wel- 
coming the  return  of  spring.  The  congregation  was 
larger  this  evening  than  the  last,  and  great  part  of 
them  attended  in  the  morning.  We  had  then  a 
solemn  parting,  as  we  could  hardly  expect  to  meet 
again  in  the  present  world. 

Wed.,  12. — I  dined  once  more  at  Sir  Lodowick 
Grant's,  whom  likewise  I  scarce  expect  to  see  any 
more.  His  lady  is  lately  gone  to  rest,  and  he  seems 
to  be  simply  following  her.  A  church  being  offered 
me  at  Elgin,  in  the  evening  I  had  a  multitude  of 
hearers,  whom  I  strongly  exhorted  to  "  Seek  the 
Lord  while  he  may  be  found." 

Thurs.,  13. — We  took  a  view  of  the  poor  remains  of 
the  once  magnificent  cathedral.  By  what  ruins  are 
left,  the  workmanship  appears  to  have  been  exquisitely 
fine.  What  barbarians  must  they  have  been  who 
hastened  the  destruction  of  this  beautiful  pile  by 
taking  the  lead  off  the  roof  ! 


APPENDIX.  303 

The  church  was  again  well  filled  in  the  evening  by 
those  who  aeemed  to  feel  much  mure  than  the  night 
before.  In  consequence,  the  morning  congregation 
w;t-  m.  >re  than  doubled,  and  deep  attention  sat  on 
every  face.  I  do  not  despair  of  good  being  done,  even 
here,  provided  the  Preachers  be  "  sons  of  thunder." 

Fri.,  14. — "We  saw  at  a  distance  the  Duke  of  Gordon's 
new  house,  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  front !  Well 
might  the  Indian  ask,  "  Are  you  white  men  no  bigger 
than  we  red  men  ?  Then  why  do  you  build  such  lofty 
houses  i "  The  country  between  this  and  Banff  is 
well  cultivated,  and  extremely  pleasant.  About  two 
I  read  prayers  and  preached  in  the  Episcopal  Chapel 
at  Banff,  one  of  the  neatest  towns  in  the  kingdom. 
About  ten  I  preached  in  Lady  Banff's  dining-room  at 
Fort-glen,  to  a  very  serious,  though  genteel  congrega- 
tion ;  and  afterwards  spent  a  most  agreeable  evening 
with  the  lovely  family. 

.  15. — We  set  out  early,  and  dined  at  Aberdeen. 
On  the  load  I  read  Ewen  Cameron's  translation  of 
Fingal.  I  think  he  has  proved  the  authenticity  of  it 
beyond  all  reasonable  contradiction.  But  what  a  poet 
was  Ossian  !  Little  inferior  to  either  Homer  or 
Virgil  ;  in  some  respects  superior  to  both.  And  what 
a  hero  was  Fingal !  Far  more  humane  than  Hector 
himself,  whom  we  cannot  excuse  for  murdering  one 
that  lay  upon  the  ground  ;  and  with  whom  Achilles, 
or  even  pious  ^Eneas,  is  not  worthy  to  be  named. 
But  who  is  this  excellent  translator,  Ewen  Cameron  ? 
t  his  other  name  Hugh  Blair  % 

>  .>..,  10. — I  went  to  Newburgh,  a  small  fishing 
town,  fifteen  miles  north  of  Aberdeen.  Here  is  at 
at,  according  to  its  bigness,  the  liveliest  society 
in  the  kingdom.  I  preached  in  a  kind  of  Square  to 
a  multitude  of  people,  and  the  whole  congregation  ap- 
peared to  be  moved,  and  ready  prepared  for  the  Lord. 

At  two  in  the  afternoon  Mr  Black  read  prayers,  and 
I  preached,  in  Trinity  Chapel.  It  was  crowded  with 
people  of  all  denominations.  I  preached  from  1  Oor. 
xiii..  1-3,  in  utter  defiance  of  their  common  saying, 
li  He  is  a  good  man,  though   he   has   bad   tempers." 


304      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Nay,  if  he  has  bad  tempers,  he  is  no  more  a  good  man 
than  the  devil  is  a  good  angel.  At  five  I  preached  in 
our  own  chapel,  exceedingly  crowded,  on,  "  The  form 
and  the  power  of  godliness."  I  am  now  clear  of  these 
people,  and  can  cheerfully  commend  them  to  God. 

Mem.,  17. — I  reached  Arbroath,  and  inquired  into 
that  odd  event  which  occurred  there  in  the  latter  end 
of  the  last  war.  The  famous  Captain  Fell  came  one 
afternoon  to  the  side  of  the  town,  and  sent  three  men 
on  shore,  threatening  to  lay  the  town  in  ashes  un- 
less they  sent  him  thirty  thousand  pounds.  That 
not  being  done,  he  began  firing  on  the  town  the  next 
day,  and  continued  it  till  night.  But  perceiving  the 
country  was  alarmed,  he  sailed  away  the  next  day, 
having  left  some  hundred  cannon-balls  behind  him  ; 
but  not  having  hurt  man,  woman,  or  child,  or  anything 
else,  save  one  old  barn  door. 

Tues.,  IS. — I  preached  at  Dundee. 
Wed.,  19. — I  crossed  over  the  pleasant  and  fertile 
county  of  Fife,  to  Melval-House,  the  grand  and  beautiful 
seat  of  Lord  Leven.  He  was  not  at  home,  being  gone 
to  Edinburgh  as  the  King's  Commissioner  ;  but  the 
Countess  was,  with  two  of  her  daughters  and  both  her 
sons-in-law.  At  their  desire  I  preached  in  the  evening 
on,  "  It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,"  &c.  I 
believe  God  made  the  application. 

Thurs.,  10. — It  blew  a  storm.  Nevertheless,  with 
some  difficulty,  we  crossed  the  Queen's  Ferry. 

Fri.,  21. — I  examined  the  society,  and  found  about 
sixty  members  left.  Many  of  these  were  truly  alive 
to  God  ;  so  our  labour  here  is  not  quite  in  vain. 

Sat.,  22. — I  had  some  close  conversation  with  L.  M., 
who  appeared  to  be  clearly  saved  from  sin,  although 
exceedingly  depressed  by  the  tottering  tenement  of 
clay.  About  noon  I  spent  an  hour  with  her  poor 
scholars,  forty  of  whom  she  has  provided  with  a 
serious  master,  who  takes  pains  to  instruct  them  in 
the  principles  of  religion,  as  well  as  in  reading  and 
writing.  A  famous  actress  just  come  down  from  Lon- 
don, which,  for  the  honour  of  Scotland,  just  during 
the  sitting  of  the  Assembly,  stole  away  a  great  part 


APPENDIX.  305 

of  our  congregation  to-night.     How  much  wiser  are 
these  Scots  than  their  forefathers  ! 

Sun.,  28. — I  went  in  the  morning  to  the  Tolbooth 
Kirk  :  in  the  afternoon  to  the  old  Episcopal  chapel ; 
but  they  have  lost  their  glorying  ;  they  talked  the 
moment  service  was  done,  as  if  they  had  been  in 
London.  In  the  evening  the  Octagon  was  well  filled, 
and  I  applied  with  all  possible  plainness,  "God  is  a 
Spirit  ;  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him 
in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

Mon.,  $4. — I  preached  at  Dunbar. 

s.t  25. — I  spent  an  hour  with  Mr  and  Mrs  F., 
a  woman  every  way  accomplished.  Neither  of  them 
had  ever  yet  heard  a  sermon  out  of  the  kirk  ;  but 
they  ventured  that  evening,  and  I  am  in  hope  they 
did  not  hear  in  vain. 

Wed.,  JO. — We  went  on  to  Berwick-upon-Tweed. 
The  congregation  in  the  Town-hall  was  very  numer- 
ous.    So  it  was  likewise  at  five  in  the  morning. 

Tku?'3.,  27.  —  We  travelled  through  a  delightful 
country  to  Kelso.  Here  the  two  Seceding  Ministers 
have  taken  true  pains  to  frighten  the  people  from 
hearing  us,  by  retailing  all  the  ribaldry  of  Mr  Cud- 
worth,  Toplady,  and  Eowland  Hill  ;  but  God  has 
called  one  of  them  to  his  account  already,  and  in  a 
fearful  manner.  As  no  house  could  contain  the  con- 
gregation, I  preached  in  the  churchyard  ;  and  a  more 
decent  behaviour  I  have  scarce  ever  seen.  Afterwards 
we  walked  to  the  Duke  of  Roxburgh's  seat,  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  town,  finely  situated  on  a  rising  ground, 
near  the  ruins  of  Roxburgh  Castle.  It  has  a  noble 
castle  ;  the  front  and  the  offices  round,  make  it  look 
like  a  little  town.  Most  of  the  apartments  within  are 
finished  in  an  elegant,  but  not  in  a  costly  manner.  I 
doubt  whether  two  of  Mr  Lascelles's  rooms  at  Hare- 
wood  House  did  not  cost  more  in  furnishing  than 
twenty  of  these.  But  the  Duke's  house  is  far  larger, 
containing  no  less  than  forty  bed-chambers  ;  but  it  is 
not  near  finished  yet,  nor  probably  will  be,  till  the 
owner  is  no  more  seen.1 

1  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  265-271. 
U 


306      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 


Twentieth  Visit,  1786. 

Fri,  12  [May  1786].— I  preached  at  Carlisle  ;  and 
Saturday,  the  13th,  after  a  long  day's  journey,  at 
Glasgow.  After  spending  three  days  here  fully  em- 
ployed, on  Wednesday,  the  17th,  we  went  on  to  Edin- 
burgh. Here,  likewise,  I  had  much  and  pleasant  work. 
On  Friday,  the  19th,  I  went  forward  to  Dundee  ;  and 
on  Saturday,  the  20th,  to  Arbroath,  where  I  spent  the 
Lord's  day  in  the  Lord's  work. 

Mon.,  22. — Having  a  long  day's  journey  before  us, 
we  set  out  at  half-past  three.  So  we  came  early  to 
Aberdeen. 

Wed.,  24. — We  had  an  exceeding  solemn  parting  ; 
as  I  reminded  them  that  we  could  hardly  expect  to 
see  each  other's  face  any  more,  till  we  met  in  Abra- 
ham's bosom. 

Thur.,  25. — We  set  out  early  ;  but  when  we  came  to 
Bervey  the  inn  was  full ;  there  was  no  room  for  man 
or  beast.  So  we  were  constrained  to  go  a  double  stage 
to  Montrose.  But  the  storm  was  so  high,  we  could 
not  pass  for  several  hours  ;  however,  we  reached 
Arbroath  soon  after  six.  And  a  large  congregation 
was  deeply  attentive,  while  I  applied,  "To  him  that 
hath  shall  be  given  ;  but  from  him  that  hath  not  shall 
be  taken  away  even  what  he  assuredly  hath." 

The  storm  was  still  so  high,  that  unless  we  set  out 
at  night,  we  could  not  pass  till  nine  in  the  morning. 
So  we  went  on  board  at  eleven  ;  the  wind  was  then  so 
strong,  that  the  boat  could  scarce  keep  above  water. 
However,  our  Great  Pilot  brought  us  safe  to  land, 
between  one  and  two  in  the  morning. 

Sat.,  27. — About  three  we  came  to  the  New  Inn, 
and  rested  till  between  six  and  seven  ;  thence  going 
gently  on  to  Kinghorn,  we  had  a  pleasant  passage 
to  Leith.  After  preaching,  I  walked  to  my  lovely 
lodging  at  Coates,  and  found  rest  was  sweet. 

Sun.,  28. — I  preached  first  at  our  own  house,  and 


APPENDIX.  307 

at  noon  on  the  Castle-Hill.  I  never  saw  such  a  con- 
gregation there  before.  The  chair  was  placed  just 
opposite  to  the  sun.  But  I  soon  forgot  it,  while  I 
expounded  these  words,  "I  saw  the  dead,  small  and 
great,  stand  before  God."  In  the  evening  the  whole 
audience  seemed  to  feel,  "  Without  holiness  no  man 
shall  see  the  Lord." 

Tues.,  SO. — I  had  the  happiness  of  conversing  with 

the  Earl  of  H and  his  Lady,  at  Dunbar.     I  could 

not  but  observe  both  the  easiness  of  his  behaviour 
(such  as  we  find  in  all  the  Scottish  nobility),  and  the 
fineness  of  his  appearance,  greatly  set  off  by  a  milk- 
white  head  of  hair. 

Wed.,  SI. — I  took  a  view  of  the  stupendous  bridge, 
about  ten  miles  from  Dunbar,  which  is  thrown  over 
the  deep  glen  that  runs  between  the  two  mountains, 
commonly  called  The  Peas.  I  doubt  whether  Louis 
XIV.  ever  raised  such  a  bridge  as  this.  In  the 
evening  I  preached  at  Berwick-upon-Tweed.1 


Twenty-first  Visit,  1788. 

..  IS  [J/cty  1788], — To-day  we  went  on  through 
lovely  leads  to  Dumfries.  Indeed  all  the  roads  are 
wonderfully  mended  since  I  last  travelled  this  way. 
Dumfries  is  beautifully  situated  :  but  as  to  wood  and 
water,  and  gently  rising  hills,  &c,  is,  I  think,  the 
neatest,  as  well  as  the  most  civilised,  town  that  I 
have  seen  in  the  kingdom.  Robert  Dall  soon  found 
me  out.  He  has  behaved  exceeding  well,  and  done 
much  good  here.  But  he  is  a  bold  man.  He  has 
begun  building  a  preaching-house,  larger  than  any  in 

nd,  except  those  in  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh  ! 
In  the  evening  I  preached  abroad  in  a  convenient  street, 
"ii  "lie  side  of  the  town.  Rich  and  poor  attended  from 
every  quarter,  of  whatever  denomination  ;  and  every 
one  seemed  to  hear  for  life.  Surely  the  Scots  are  the 
best  hearers  in  Europe  ! 

i  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  323,  324. 


308      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Wed.,  14. — At  five  I  was  importuned  to  preach  in 
the  preaching -house.  But  such  a  one  I  never  saw 
before.  It  had  no  windows  at  all  :  so  that  although 
the  sun  shone  bright,  we  could  see  nothing  without 
candles.  But  I  believe  our  Lord  shone  on  many  hearts 
while  I  was  applying  those  words,  "  I  will ;  be  thou 
clean."  I  breakfasted  with  poor  Mr  Ashton,  many 
years  ago  a  member  of  our  society  in  London,  but  far 
happier  now  in  his  little  cottage,  than  ever  he  was  in 
his  prosperity. 

When  I  was  in  Scotland  first,  even  at  a  nobleman's 
table,  we  had  only  flesh -meat  of  one  kind,  but  no 
vegetables  of  any  kind ;  but  now  they  are  as  plentiful 
here  as  in  England.  Near  Dumfries  there  are  five 
very  large  public  gardens,  which  furnish  the  town 
with  greens  and  fruits  in  abundance. 

The  congregation  in  the  evening  was  nearly  double 
to  that  we  had  the  last,  and,  if  it  was  possible,  more 
attentive.  Indeed  one  or  two  gentlemen,  so  called, 
laughed  at  first ;  but  they  quickly  disappeared,  and 
all  were  still  while  I  explained  the  worship  of  God 
in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Two  of  the  Clergy  followed  me 
to  my  lodging,  and  gave  me  a  pressing  invitation  to 
their  houses.  Several  others  intended,  it  seems,  to  do 
the  same.  But  having  a  long  journey  before  me,  I 
left  Dumfries  earlier  in  the  morning  than  they  ex- 
pected. We  set  out  on  Thursday,  the  15th,  at  four, 
and  reached  Glasgow,  Friday,  16th,  before  noon.  Much 
of  the  country,  as  we  came,  is  now  well  improved,  and 
the  wilderness  become  a  fruitful  field. 

Our  new  preaching  -  house  will,  I  believe,  contain 
about  as  many  as  the  chapel  at  Bath.  But  0  the 
difference  !  It  has  the  pulpit  on  one  side,  and  has 
exactly  the  look  of  a  Presbyterian  meeting-house.  It 
is  the  very  sister  of  our  house  at  Brentford  ;  perhaps 
an  omen  of  what  will  be  when  I  am  gone  !  I  preached 
at  seven,  to  a  tolerably  large  congregation,  and  to  many 
of  them  at  five  in  the  morning.  At  six  in  the  evening 
they  were  increased  fourfold.  But  still  I  could  not 
find  the  way  to  their  hearts. 

Sun.,  18.— I  preached  at  eleven  on  the  parable  of  the 


, 


APPENDIX.  309 

Sower  :  at  half-past  two  on  Psalm  1.  23  ;  and  in  the 
evening  on  "Now  abideth  these  three,  faith,  hope, 
I  subjoined  a  short  account  of  Methodism,  par- 
ticularly insisting  on  the  circumstance, — There  is  no 
Other  religious  society  under  heaven  which  requires 
nothing  of  men  in  order  to  their  admission  into  it,  but 
a  desire  to  save  their  souls.  Look  all  round  you,  you 
cannot  be  admitted  into  the  Church  or  society  of  the 
Presbyterians,  Anabaptists,  Quakers,  or  any  others, 
unless  you  hold  the  same  opinions  with  them,  and 
adhere  to  the  same  mode  of  worship.  The  Methodists 
alone  do  not  insist  on  your  holding  this  or  that  opinion, 
but  they  think  and  let  think.  Neither  do  they  impose 
any  particular  mode  of  worship,  but  you  may  continue 
to  worship  in  your  former  manner,  be  it  what  it  may. 
Now  I  do  not  know  any  other  religious  society,  either 
ancient  or  modern,  wherein  such  liberty  of  conscience 
is  now  allowed,  or  has  been  allowed,  since  the  age  of 
the  Apostles.  Here  is  our  glorying  ;  and  a  glorying 
peculiar  to  us.     What  society  snares  it  with  us? 

Mod.,  19. — I  went  to  Edinburgh,  and  preached  to  a 
much  larger  congregation  than  I  used  to  see  here  on  a 
week-day.  I  still  find  a  frankness  and  openness  in  the 
people  of  Edinburgh,  which  I  find  in  few  other  parts 
of  the  kingdom.  I  spent  two  days  among  them  with 
much  satisfaction  ;  and  I  was  not  at  all  disappointed  in 
finding  no  such  increase,  either  in  the  congregation  or 
the  societv,  as  many  expected  from  their  leaving  the 
Kirk. 

Thv.r.,  22. — The  house  at  Dalkeith  being  far  too 
small,  even  at  eight  in  the  morning,  to  contain  the 
congregation,  I  preached  in  a  garden,  on,  "  Seek  ye 
the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found "  ;  and  from  the 
eager  attention  of  the  people,  I  could  not  but  hope, 
that  some  of  them  would  receive  the  truth  in  love. 
In  the  evening  I  preached  in  the  house  at  Dunbar, 
tolerably  well  filled,  on  Job  xxii.  2,  3.  I  believe 
with 

"  The  spirit  of  convincing  speech." 
But  much  more  at  five  in  the  morning,  Friday,  23. 


310      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

And  will  God  manifest  His  power  among  these  dry 
bones  also  1  Immediately  after  preaching  we  set  out. 
How  is  the  face  of  this  country  changed  in  a  few 
years  !  It  was  twenty  years  ago  dreary  enough,  but 
is  now  a  pleasant  garden.  But  what  is  most  remark- 
able is,  the  bridge  which  connects  the  two  mountains, 
the  Peas,  together  ;  one  of  the  noblest  works  in  Great 
Britain,  unless  you  would  except  the  bridge  at  Edin- 
burgh, which  lies  directly  across  the  Cowgate  :  so  that 
one  street  (a  thing  not  heard  of  before)  runs  under 
another  ! 

About  noon  we  came  to  Berwick-upon-Tweed ;  but 
the  town  being  all  in  a  hurry,  on  occasion  of  the  fair, 
so  that  I  could  not  conveniently  preach  in  the  market- 
house,  I  was  glad  that  Mr  Atcheson,  the  Presbyterian 
Minister,  offered  me  the  use  of  his  chapel.  It  was  a 
large  commodious  place.  Several  of  his  hearers  at- 
tended, to  whom  I  spoke  exceeding  plain  in  the  even- 
ing, on  1  Cor.  xii.  3,  and  in  the  morning,  on  Isaiah 
lix.  1-3. 

Sun.,  25. — This  was  the  day  on  which  all  the  Non- 
juring  congregations  in  Scotland  began,  by  common 
agreement,  to  pray  in  all  their  public  worship  for  King 
George  and  his  family.1 


Twenty-second  Visit,  1790. 

[Part  of  the  manuscript  having  been  lost,  causes 
a  chasm  here.] 

Mon.y  May  %%  [1790'].  —  We  set  out  at  four,  and 
reached  Forglen  about  noon.  The  face  of  the  country 
is  much  changed  for  the  better  since  I  was  here  before. 
Agriculture  increases  on  every  side  ;  so  do  manufac- 
tories, industry,  and  cleanliness. 

But  1  found  poor  Lady  B.  (one  of  the  most  amiable 

1  Journal,  vol.  iv.  pp.  407-409. 


APPENDIX.  311 

women  in  the  kingdom)  exceedingly  ill  ;  and  I  doubt 
whether  she  will  be  much  better  till  she  removes  to 
her  own  country.  I  spent  a  very  agreeable  afternoon 
with  the  lovely  family,  and  preached  to  a  serious  con- 
gregation in  the  evening. 

Tuesday,  25. — We  returned  to  Aberdeen  ;  and  I  took 
a  solemn  farewell  of  a  crowded  audience.  If  I  should 
be  permitted  to  see  them  again,  well ;  if  not,  I  have 
delivered  my  own  soul. 

Wed.,  26. — Taking  the  midland  road,  we  spent  an 
hour  at  Laurencekirk ;  which,  from  an  inconsiderable 
village,  is,  by  the  care  and  power  of  Lord  Gordon, 
soon  sprung  up  into  a  pleasant,  neat,  and  flourishing 
town.  His  lordship  has  also  erected  a  little  library 
here,  adjoining  to  a  handsome  and  well-furnished  inn. 
The  country  from  hence  to  Brechin  is  as  pleasant  as  a 
garden.  Happy  would  Scotland  be,  if  it  had  many 
such  gentlemen  and  noblemen.  In  the  evening  I 
began  preaching  at  Brechin,  in  the  Freeman's  Lodge  ; 
but  I  was  so  faint  and  ill,  that  I  was  obliged  to  shorten 
my  discourse. 

Thurs.,  27. — We  went  on  through  Forfar  (now  a 
handsome  and  almost  a  new  town)  and  Cupar  to 
Auchterarder.  Here  we  expected  poor  accommoda- 
tions, but  were  agreeably  disappointed.  Food,  beds, 
and  everything  else  were  as  neat  and  clean  as  at 
Aberdeen  or  Edinburgh. 

Friday.  28.  —  We  travelled  through  a  delightful 
country,  by  Stirling  and  Kilsythe,  to  Glasgow.  The 
congregation  was  miserably  small ;  verifying  what  I 
have  often  heard  before,  that  the  Scots  dearly  love  the 
word  of  the  Lord — on  the  Lord's  day.  If  I  live  to 
come  again,  I  will  take  care  to  spend  only  the  Lord's 
day  at  Glasgow. 

Mo/>.,  31. — We  set  out  at  two,  and  came  to  Moffat 
soon  after  three  in  the  afternoon.  Taking  fresh  horses, 
we  reached  Dumfries  between  six  and  seven,  and  found 
the  congregation  waiting  ;  so  after  a  few  minutes,  I 
preached  on  Mark  iii.  35:  "Whosoever  shall  do  the 
will  of  God,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister,  and 
mother." 


312      WESLEY  AND   WHITEFIELD   IN   SCOTLAND. 

Tues.,  June  1. — Mr  Mather  had  a  good  congregation 
at  five.  In  the  day  I  conversed  with  many  of  the 
people  ;  unlike  most  that  I  have  found  in  Scotland. 
In  the  evening  the  house  was  filled  ;  and  truly  God 
preached  to  their  hearts.  Surely  God  will  have  a  con- 
siderable people  here. 

Wed.,  2. — We  set  out  early,  and  reached  Carlisle.  .  .  . 


INDEX. 


Aberdeen,  freedom  of,  to 
Whitefield,  29  —  Wliitefield 
preaches  at,  30,  31 — testi- 
mony from,  33 — Marischal 
and  Wesley,  131-133,  241, 
242 — early  services  at,  133. 

Aberdeen,  Wesley  at,  240-242, 
244.  245,  249,  252,  256,  257, 

263,  264,  268,  269,  275,  282, 
286,  290,  293,  300,  303,  306, 
311. 

Arbroath,  freedom  of,  to  Wes- 
lev,  174.  276  — Wesley  at, 
269,  275,  276,  283,  288,  290, 
293,  296,  297,  299,  304,  306. 

Arianism,  Scottish,  and  Wes- 
ley, 120,  121. 

Arnold,  Matthew,  on  Wesley, 
68. 

Banff,  Lady,  186,  300,  310. 
Banff.    Wesley   at,    286,    287, 

303. 
Base  Rock.  278. 
Beattie,  Dr.  275. 
Benson,   Joseph,    on   Wesley, 

177.  ' 
Bible,  Wesley  on,  87. 
Bohler  and  John  Wesley,  80- 

Boewell  and  Wesley,  182. 
Brechin.  Wesley  at,  247.  257, 

264,  274,  311. 


Cairns,  Principal,  188. 

Cambuslang  and  Wliitefield, 
36-41,  43,  56,  65. 

Cameronians,  16,  41. 

Campbell,  John  M'Leod,  218. 

Campbell,  Principal,  and  Wes- 
ley, 132. 

Cathcart,  Lord,  and  White- 
field,  53. 

Catholicity  of  Whitefield,  63, 
64. 

Circular  letter,  170,  171. 

Clarke,  Dr  Samuel,  222-224. 

Communion  at  St  Cuthbert's, 
Wesley  at,  252,  253. 

Cowan,  Professor,  132,  224- 
226. 

Dalkeith,  309. 

Divinity  students  and  White- 
field,  49,  63— and  Wesley, 
125. 

Dumfries,  Wesley  visits,  231, 
234j  238,  307,  311. 

Dunbar,  236,  239,  246,  253, 
255,  265,  269,  278,  284, 
289,  294-296,  305,  307. 

Dundee,  Whitefield  at,  33,  34 
—Wesley  at,  240,  247,  256, 
257,  276,  281,  286,  288,  293, 
296.  299.  304.  306. 

Dunfermline  Whitefield  at, 
27. 


314 


INDEX. 


Dunkeld,  Wesley  at,  267. 

Early  services,  133. 
Edinburgh      University      and 
Municipality    and    Wesley, 
227,  228. 

Edinburgh,  Weslev  visits,  230, 
234,  240,  243,  245,  246,  252, 
253,  255,  257,  258,  261,  262, 
270,  272,  276,  277,  280,  283- 
285,  289,  290,  293-298,  305- 
307,  309. 

Edinburgh,  Whitefield  at,  27, 
29,  47-50,  52,  54-57— freedom 
of,  to  Whitefield,  29— White- 
field  preaches  at,  31,  32,  35, 
43 — assists  at  Communions, 
36— Synod  of,  45— White- 
field's  love  for,  57,  58— pro- 
tects Whitefield  against  the 
actor,  58. 

'Eleven  Letters'  and  Dr 
Erskine,  151-154,  253. 

Elgin,  Wesley  at,  251,  252,  302, 
303. 

Enthusiast,  meanings  of,  62. 

Erskine,  Dr  John,  124  —  and 
Wesley,  151-154,  161-163. 

Erskine,  Ralph,  and  White- 
field,  12,  13,  15-18,  20-24,  47. 

Erskine,  Thomas,  218. 

Estate  refused  by  Whitefield, 
54,  55. 

Ewing,  Bishop,  218. 

Exercise,  Scottish,  and  Metho- 
dist societies,  96-98. 

Experience,  religious,  157. 

Farrar,  on  Whitefield,  11 — on 
Church  of  England,  85,  86— 
on  Wesleyan  revival,  105, 
215. 

Fitzgerald,  Edward,  on  Wes- 
ley's Journal,  109. 

Fletcher  of  Madeley,  171, 172— 
Mrs,  on  Wesley's  old  age,  197. 

Forres,  Wesley  at,  251,  291, 
301. 

Francis,  St,  212-216. 


General  Assembly,  Whitefield 
attends,  53 — Wesley  at,  154, 
246,  255. 

Gerard,  Prof.,  and  Wesley, 
132. 

Gillies,  Dr,  of  Glasgow,  and 
Whitefield,  44,  47,  49— bio- 
grapher of  Whitefield,  59 — 
Life  of,  123-125— and  Wes- 
ley, 125,  128,  131,  158,  169, 
262,  273. 

Glasgow,  University,  231, 235— 
Wesley  preaches  at,  234,  235 
239,  254,  258-260,  266,  272- 
275,  279,  280,  285,  290,  299, 
308,  311— Cathedral,  235 
285. 

Glasgow,  Whitefield  preaches 
at,  29,  36,  43,  47-50,  52,  54, 
56  —  confers  freedom  on 
Whitefield,  29  — Dr  Gillies 
at,  44  — Synod  of,  45  — 
preaches  in  College  Church, 
47. 

Glassites,  290. 

Glenorchy,  Lady,  and  Wesley, 
163-168. 

Grant,  Sir  Archibald,  249. 

Green  on  Wesley,  1,  95. 

Greenock,  Wesley  at,  272,  279, 
285. 

Haddington,  Earl  and  Countess 

of,  271,  307. 
Haddington,   Wesley  at,   244, 

246. 
Halyburton,      Thomas,      Life 

and  Works  of,  26  (note),  27, 

120. 
Heriot's     Hospital    managers 

and  Whitefield,  35. 
Hervey,   James,  and  Wesley, 

145,  154,  253. 
High  Churchyard  of  Glasgow, 

Whitefield  preaches  at,  29, 

62. 
Hill,  Rowland,  175. 
Holyrood,  Wesley  at,  243,  265, 

295. 


INDEX. 


315 


Hushes,  Rev.  Hugh  Price,  ou 
Methodism,  92,  93— ou  Wes- 
ley, 21"). 

Hume,  David,  and  Whitefield's 
pleaching,  65. 

Hymns,  Wesleyan,  94-96,  127, 
150. 

Ingham,  Benjamin,  129,  130. 
Inverness,    Wesley    at,    250, 

268,  291,  301, 
302. 

Inverurie,  Wesley  at,  288,  291, 
293. 

Irvine,  freedom  of,  to  White- 
held,  29. 

Itinerant  plan  and  Scotland, 
197. 

Johnson,  Dr,  135,  182,  286. 
Journal,  109  (note). 

Keith,   Wesley   at,    287,   291, 

301. 
Kelso,   Wesley  at.    237,   297, 

305. 
Kilsyth,  effect  of  Whitefield's 

preaching  at.  41. 
Kingslev    on    Whitefield    and 

Wesley,  100. 
Knox.     John,     and     religious 

societies,    115-118  —  Wesley 

on  his  History,  259. 

Lang,  Dr  Marshall,  105. 
Lay  assistants,  100-104. 
Leckv  on  Wesley,  1,  81  (note), 

107,  112,  221. 
Leechman.  Rev.  Prof.,  53. 
Leishton,  Archbishop,  26,  86, 

154. 
Leith,  Wesley  at,  277,  306. 
Leven,  Earl  of,  and  Whitefield. 

29,   30  — Countess    of,    and 

Wesley,  304. 
Lightfoot,  Bishop,  105. 
Lothian,     Marquis      of,      and 

Whitefield,  28. 
Luther's  influence  on  Wesley, 


SI — comparison  of  both,  85, 
105. 

Maeaulay,  Lord,  on  Wesley, 
66. 

Martineau,  Dr  James,  on 
saints,  211. 

Mather,  Alexander,  222. 

Maxwell,  Lady,  of  Pollok, 
friend  of  Wesley,  139-144, 
166,  167,  205,  209,  210,  296, 
298,  304. 

Melville  House,  304. 

Methodism,  1 — in  Scotland,  2, 
309  — object  of,  2  — early 
Oxford  Methodists,  4,  5,  72 
—  "Methodist,"  origin  of 
name,  72,  73  —  commence- 
ment of,  74  —  and  John 
Wesley,  ib.—  Scottish  Meth- 
odists, 210. 

Missionary  spirit  in  Wesley 
family,  76  —  in  movement, 
108. 

Moncreiff,  Sir  Henry  Well- 
wood,  on  Whitefield,  55. 

Moneydie,  280. 

Monymusk,  134  —  Wesley  at, 
242,  249,  257. 

Moravian  influence  on  Wesley, 
77-82. 

Musselburgh,  Wesley  visits, 
229,  230,  236,  239,  243,  254. 

Nairn,   Wesley  at,   251,    268, 

292. 
Xewburgh,  Aberdeen,  297,  303. 

Old  Meldrum,  Wesley  at,  250, 
286,  300. 

Oliphant,  Mrs,  on  Wesley,  216. 

Ordinations  for  Scotland,  190, 
191. 

Ormiston,  284. 

Orphan  House,  Edinburgh, 
Whitefield  preaches  near, 
26,  47— benefited  by  White- 
field,    52,    54  —  pulpit    at, 


316 


INDEX. 


Overton  on  Wesley's  itinerant 

labours,  83,  112. 
Oxford  movement  and  Wesley, 

105. 

Paisley,  freedom  of,  to  White- 
field,  29. 

Patriotism,  Wesley  on,  107-109. 

Pennant,  288. 

Perth,  ministers  and  Wesley, 
169,  267,  273,  274— freedom 
of.  173,  271— Wesley  at,  262, 
263,  273, 280, 285— St  John's, 
263  —  Tolbooth,  266,  299  — 
West  Church,  281. 

Perth,  Synod  of,  43. 

Port-Glasgow,  Wesley  at,  272, 
273,  279,  286. 

Prestonpans,  Wesley  at,  255. 

Primitive  Church,  98. 

Queen  Mary,  Wesley  on,  263. 

Eae,  Lord,  and  Whitefield,  28. 
Eankin,  Thomas,  221. 
Eeticence,  Scottish,  116. 
Kevival    at    Cambuslang    and 

elsewhere,  36-42. 
Eigg,  Dr,  100. 
Eoslin,  295. 

Sacraments,  Wesley  on,  91 — 
Scottish  Eeformers  on,  92. 

Saints  as  prophets,  213. 

Salvation  Army  taught  by  Wes- 
ley, 105. 

Sandeman,  129. 

Scone,  palace  at,  265,  267. 

Scotland,  favourable  to  White- 
field,  59,  62,  63 — influenced 
by  Wesley,  216-221— influ- 
ences Methodism,  221-226 
—tribute  to  Wesley,  227, 
228. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  and  Wesley, 
184. 

Scottish  congregations,  47,  48, 
125,  175,  235,  254,  274,  288, 
290,  307,  308. 


'  Scotsman '  on  Wesley's  work, 
113 — on  St  Giles'  centenary 
service,  227,  228. 

Scougal,  Henry,  influence,  5 — 
life,  character,  teaching  of, 
5-7  —  Charles  Wesley  gives 
his  book  to  Whitefield,  with 
its  great  results,  8-10,  26 — 
influence  on  John  Wesley, 
67,  68  —  edited  by  John 
Wesley,  68  (note). 

Secession,  Scottish,  18,  19  — 
proposed  alliance  with 
Whitefield,  20  -  22  —  failure 
of,  22-24 — denounces  White- 
field,  42  —  Wesley  and, 
188. 

Shetland  and  Methodists,  222. 

Southey  on  Wesley,  221. 

St  Andrews,  179,  288,  289. 

Stanley,  Dean,  on  Dr  Webster, 
46 — on  Wesley's  object,  93, 
94 — on  pastorate,  176 — on 
Wesley's  grave,  201  —  and 
National  Church,  215  —  on 
Broad  Church,  218— on  les- 
sons from  Wesley's  work, 
220  —  on  union  through 
Methodists,  226. 

Stark,  Dr,  112. 

Stephen,  Leslie,  on  Wesley, 
1 — on  authority  of  religion, 
64 — on  Wesley's  work,  84, 
110.  . 

Stephen,  Sir  James,  on 
Whitefield,  34,  65. 

Stevens,  Dr,  113. 

Stirling,  freedom  of,  to  White- 
field,  29. 

Story,  Principal,  on  Scottish 
"Exercise,"  97,  115. 

Stoughton,  Dr  John,  on  White- 
field,  25  —  on  Wesleyan 
hymns,   94. 

Theatre  and  Whitefield,  50-52. 
Thorn,  Alexander,  226. 
Tolbooth,   Edinburgh,   White- 
field  preaches  at,  32,  47. 


INDEX. 


317 


Tyerman  on  Whitefield'a  Cal- 

-:i,  14 — on  Wesley  fam- 
ily, 76. 

Wardrope.  Rev.  Mr,  of  Bath- 
.    preaches  for  Wesley, 

r,  Dr.  defends  White- 
field,  42.  43.  45,  46  — and 
Wesley,  164,  165. 

■.  Charles,  and  Scougal, 
7-9— founds  ••  Holy  Club  "  at 
Oxford,  70.  72,  74— goes  to 
Georgia  with  brother.  7*-.-' 
— his  hymns.  94  -  96  —  and 
Scotland,  121,  191,  200. 

•.  John,  meets  White- 
field  at  Edinburgh,  57  — 
strictness  of  his  life,  68,  69 
— visits  Oxford  prison,  71, 
72 — austerity  of,  73,  74 — and 
Primitive  Church,  74,  75 — 
influence  of  Oxford,  75,  76 
— missionary  spirit  in,  76— 
goes  to  Georgia,  ib. — life  on 
ship.  77.  78— work  and  re- 
turn, 7S,  79  —  contact  with 
Moravians,  79 — meets  Peter 
Bohler,  80-84— his  spiritual 
earnestness,  80  —  spiritual 
conviction,  81 — Oxford  ser- 
mon, ib.,  82 — visits  Zinzen- 
dorf,  81 — itinerant  labours, 
83-85— and  Church  of  Eng- 
land, 85,  86  —  his  message, 
86— on  Bible,  87 — his  doc- 
trines, 87-91 — rediscovered 
Reformation  principle,  92 — 
disliked  controversy,  93 — his 
object,  94— hymns,  94-96— 
object  of  his  societies,  96-99 
—lay  assistants,  100-104— 
revival,  104  - 109— journal, 
110  —  his  preaching,  111 — 
Scottish     reception,         .  — 

nans  on,  112-114— and 

tish  conditions,  118-121 
—  first  Scottish  visit,  122. 
__      280-  .   :.  -:_- 


230-234  — third  visit,  128, 
129,  234-237— fourth,  130, 
131,  238-240— fifth,  131-135, 
240-244  —  sixth.  136,  137, 
244-246— seventh,  137-144, 
-253  — eighth,  145-154, 
253-255  —  ninth,  154,  155, 
255-260  — tenth,  156,  157, 
260-262— eleventh,  157-163, 
262-266  —  twelfth,  163-168, 
266  -  271  —  thirteenth,  168- 
174.  271  -  279  —  fourteenth, 
174-178,  279-284— fifteenth, 
17S-180.  285-289— sixteenth. 
180-182,  2S9- 294  — seven- 
teenth, 183,  294,  295  — 
eighteenth,  183-185,  296-298 
—nineteenth,  185-192,  298- 
305  —  twentieth,  192  - 195, 
306,  307— twenty-first,  195- 
202,  307  -  310  —  twenty  - 
second,  202-206,  310-312— 
arranges  another  Scottish 
visit,  206— death,  207,  208 
— character,  211,  212 — com- 
parison with  St  Francis,  212- 
•Jl6 — influence  on  Scotland, 
216-221 — Scottish  centenary 
service,  227,  228. 

Wesley,  Susanna,  98,  103. 

Whitefield,  in  Scotland,  3 — and 
Charles  Wesley,  5-9  —  in- 
fluenced by  Henry  Scougal, 
5-10 — ordained,  10 — origin- 
ated itinerancy  and  revival, 
11— and  Ralph  Erskine,  12, 
13,  15-18— his  Calvinism,  14 
—  proposed  alliance  with 
Scottish  seceders.  18  -  22 — 
declines,  22-24 — and  Church 
of  Scotland,  25 — edits  Haly- 
burton,  ib.,  26 — first  Scot- 
tish visit,  26,  34  — dislikes 
controversy  and  earthly 
things,  27,  28  —  receives 
"freedom"  of  six  Scottish 
towns,  29  —  and  Earl  of 
Leven,  ib.,  30 — second  Scot- 
tish visit,  34-43 — and  Cam- 


311 


INDEX. 


buslang  revival  and  com- 
munion, 36-41  —  opposition 
to,  41,  42  — third  Scottish 
visit,  43-47  —  fourth  visit, 
47,  48— fifth  visit,  48,  49— 
sixth  visit,  49,  50 — seventh 
visit,  50-52 — eighth  visit,  52, 
53  — ninth  visit,  53,  54  — 
tenth  visit,  54  —  eleventh 
visit,  54,  55 — twelfth  visit, 
55,  56 — thirteenth  visit,  56, 
57 — fourteenth  visit,  57,  58 


— death,  58 — character  and 
appearance  of,  59-61 — lessens 
party  zeal,  61 — catholicity, 
63,  64  —  preaching,  64  — 
single-mindedness,  ib.,  65 — 
promoted  practical  religion, 
65  —  an  evangelist,  ib.  — 
his  testimony  to  Scottish 
clergy,  66  —  his  preaching, 
100,  111  —  comparison  with 
St  Dominic,  212,  213. 


THE     END. 


PRINTKD  BY  WILLIAM  BLACKWOOD  AND  SONS. 


1 


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